All together now: building resilient citizen energy communities through collaborative learning
As the energy transition deepens, a key component of this effort has been the advancement of citizen energy communities (EC) which are vital for fostering the innovation needed to achieve net zero. While notable effort has been made to capture the perspectives of energy cooperatives, little attentio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Energy |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/ade3e0 |
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| _version_ | 1849425136486187008 |
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| author | Paul Tobin Breffní Lennon |
| author_facet | Paul Tobin Breffní Lennon |
| author_sort | Paul Tobin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As the energy transition deepens, a key component of this effort has been the advancement of citizen energy communities (EC) which are vital for fostering the innovation needed to achieve net zero. While notable effort has been made to capture the perspectives of energy cooperatives, little attention has been paid to the shared perspectives of energy cooperatives and the energy distribution system operators they must engage with when establishing an energy community. This paper seeks to address this by examining how collaborative learning, a participatory approach where stakeholders share knowledge and experiences to identify challenges and co-develop strategies, can help practitioners identify and better understand the key barriers and drivers to citizen energy community formation. Drawing from original research conducted across four distinct EC situated in four European countries, it outlines how a living lab, a real-world, user-centred research environment for testing and refining energy solutions, was utilised to understand the motivations that underscore people’s attitudes towards, and participation in, a ‘community’. Findings indicate that togetherness—expressed through social and functional relationships—is a foundational component of EC, supported by key factors such as context, values, and needs. The study also highlights major challenges, including a lack of social democracy, regulatory issues, and uncertainty about benefits, with social engagement emerging as the most effective strategy for building resilience, or the capacity of communities to adapt and sustain participation. The paper also engages with the wider debates found within this journal on the deployment of living labs and their applicability as a tool for socio-technical innovation that can empower EC and build greater resilience amongst stakeholders. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e6bb476fdf0e4a5db208572bf0cae355 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2753-3751 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Energy |
| spelling | doaj-art-e6bb476fdf0e4a5db208572bf0cae3552025-08-20T03:29:52ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Energy2753-37512025-01-012202501510.1088/2753-3751/ade3e0All together now: building resilient citizen energy communities through collaborative learningPaul Tobin0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4358-0557Breffní Lennon1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9957-5765Smart Innovation Norway , Håkon Melbergs vei 16, 1783 Halden, Norway; Supercell Oy , Jätkäsaarenlaituri, 100180 Helsinki, FinlandCleaner Production Promotion Unit, Sustainability Institute, University College Cork , Cork, Ireland; School of Engineering & Architecture, University College Cork , Cork, IrelandAs the energy transition deepens, a key component of this effort has been the advancement of citizen energy communities (EC) which are vital for fostering the innovation needed to achieve net zero. While notable effort has been made to capture the perspectives of energy cooperatives, little attention has been paid to the shared perspectives of energy cooperatives and the energy distribution system operators they must engage with when establishing an energy community. This paper seeks to address this by examining how collaborative learning, a participatory approach where stakeholders share knowledge and experiences to identify challenges and co-develop strategies, can help practitioners identify and better understand the key barriers and drivers to citizen energy community formation. Drawing from original research conducted across four distinct EC situated in four European countries, it outlines how a living lab, a real-world, user-centred research environment for testing and refining energy solutions, was utilised to understand the motivations that underscore people’s attitudes towards, and participation in, a ‘community’. Findings indicate that togetherness—expressed through social and functional relationships—is a foundational component of EC, supported by key factors such as context, values, and needs. The study also highlights major challenges, including a lack of social democracy, regulatory issues, and uncertainty about benefits, with social engagement emerging as the most effective strategy for building resilience, or the capacity of communities to adapt and sustain participation. The paper also engages with the wider debates found within this journal on the deployment of living labs and their applicability as a tool for socio-technical innovation that can empower EC and build greater resilience amongst stakeholders.https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/ade3e0engaged researchliving labsenergy communitiessocial innovationempowermentresilience |
| spellingShingle | Paul Tobin Breffní Lennon All together now: building resilient citizen energy communities through collaborative learning Environmental Research: Energy engaged research living labs energy communities social innovation empowerment resilience |
| title | All together now: building resilient citizen energy communities through collaborative learning |
| title_full | All together now: building resilient citizen energy communities through collaborative learning |
| title_fullStr | All together now: building resilient citizen energy communities through collaborative learning |
| title_full_unstemmed | All together now: building resilient citizen energy communities through collaborative learning |
| title_short | All together now: building resilient citizen energy communities through collaborative learning |
| title_sort | all together now building resilient citizen energy communities through collaborative learning |
| topic | engaged research living labs energy communities social innovation empowerment resilience |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/ade3e0 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT paultobin alltogethernowbuildingresilientcitizenenergycommunitiesthroughcollaborativelearning AT breffnilennon alltogethernowbuildingresilientcitizenenergycommunitiesthroughcollaborativelearning |