Based on an inter- and transdisciplinary conceptualization of energy citizenship, EC² deliberated economic trends, identified economic conditions, business model innovations, public support policies and legal regulations that are needed for the emergence of energy citizenship and its potential contribution to the low-carbon energy transition. EC² focused in particular on energy communities as emerging entities within the energy sector and as potential key actors to promote energy citizenship.
The objective was to gather empirical evidence on how the framework and the set-up of energy communities foster or hinder energy citizenship and its conduciveness for broader policy goals and under which circumstances energy communities and energy citizens benefit most from each other. To this end, EC² developed a scale to quantitatively assess the psychological manifestation of energy citizenship within individuals. The team studied the complex relationships between the legal frameworks, the economic structures, and the psychological set-ups of energy communities and their surrounding societies, on the one hand, and energy citizenship, on the other. To identify causal relationships, EC² conducted experimental lab studies, in addition to broader field studies. Based on these insights, the team developed and empirically tested recommendations and tools to overcome barriers and facilitate the scaling up of energy citizenship and energy communities.
