Abstract
Active participation of citizens in the sustainable energy transition—particularly in energy communities—is explicitly desired by the European Union and considered vital for a successful transformation of Europe’s energy system. Currently, energy communities, i.e., citizen-led groups generating energy from renewable sources can be found across Europe, though current numbers are small. However, it is expected that the majority of EU households will be active in some form in the generation of energy by 2050. In order to understand how such a development could come about, and if desired, how it could be ensured, we developed and applied a quasi-dynamic model using the Cross-Impact Balance (CIB) approach and with it analyzed and assessed such a transition in detail. Data for the CIB model was derived from case studies, interviews, three surveys including two discrete choice experiments, expert workshops, and complementary secondary data. A central consideration of the model is a differentiated representation of the heterogeneity of actors in society and their interactions. Main results obtained from the application of the model are possible transformation pathways of citizen participation in the energy transition of Germany. A key finding was that if current trends continue, a citizen-driven energy transition based on energy communities will unlikely be successful. We conclude that several framework conditions must change simultaneously from the status quo so that different social groups in society can be active in the generation of energy. These include changes such as the abolition of hindering regulations and the expansion of financial support schemes with a focus on lower socioeconomic groups. Furthermore, only in a combination of conducive social factors such as neighborhood cohesion and conducive social influence, as well as favorable economic conditions, can energy communities become an important player in Germany’s future energy system.
Highlights
Introduction iationsActive and collaborative participation of citizens, within energy communities, i.e., citizen-led groups generating renewable energy, is considered a vital pillar for a successful and sustainable energy transition as envisioned by the European Union (EU).This is explicitly reflected, among other, in the recent EU “Clean energy for all Europeans package” of 2019 [1], and especially in two of its recast directives [2]: the Renewable Energy Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/2001; RED II) [3] and the Internal Electricity MarketDirective (Directive (EU) 2019/944; IEMD) [4].From a policymaker’s perspective, such citizen participation is vital as it is expected to further increase public acceptance of renewable energy projects and the sustainable energy transition [2,5]
CrossImpact Balance (CIB) has been applied to a broad range of research questions, including the analyses of energy system transitions, studies on sustainability aspects [42], innovation [43], health care [44], and on climate change policies (e.g., [45,46])
The conventional CIB approach is based on literature reviews and expert judgments deciding on the selection of factors, i.e., descriptors that are relevant for the system under consideration, the possible states of descriptors, and the direct influences each state has on another state
Summary
Introduction iationsActive and collaborative participation of citizens, within energy communities, i.e., citizen-led groups generating renewable energy, is considered a vital pillar for a successful and sustainable energy transition as envisioned by the European Union (EU).This is explicitly reflected, among other, in the recent EU “Clean energy for all Europeans package” of 2019 [1], and especially in two of its recast directives [2]: the Renewable Energy Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/2001; RED II) [3] and the Internal Electricity MarketDirective (Directive (EU) 2019/944; IEMD) [4].From a policymaker’s perspective, such citizen participation is vital as it is expected to further increase public acceptance of renewable energy projects and the sustainable energy transition [2,5]. Active and collaborative participation of citizens, within energy communities, i.e., citizen-led groups generating renewable energy, is considered a vital pillar for a successful and sustainable energy transition as envisioned by the European Union (EU). This is explicitly reflected, among other, in the recent EU “Clean energy for all Europeans package” of 2019 [1], and especially in two of its recast directives [2]: the Renewable Energy Directive (Directive (EU) 2018/2001; RED II) [3] and the Internal Electricity Market. From a policymaker’s perspective, such citizen participation is vital as it is expected to further increase public acceptance of renewable energy projects and the sustainable energy transition [2,5]. Citizen participation is expected to attract private investments in the sustainable energy transition [2], that is, close the investment gap in renewable energy
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