Background
To save this post, install the Mohi app and open this link on your phone.
Download app

Energy citizenship: Europe’s communities forging a low-carbon future

Read
Tijn Tjoelker
·
Dec 12

Europe’s green transition will only happen with the engagement and involvement of communities that produce and consume energy locally.

Luckily, across the continent, there are signs it is happening.

From solar panels in the Netherlands to biomass burners in Spain, communities across Europe are increasingly making, consuming and selling their own energy, a trend that's vital if the EU is to meet its climate targets.

According to the latest data, 2 million Europeans are now involved in 7,000 local energy communities across the continent, with numbers growing rapidly since EU directives promoting clean energy and energy communities were introduced in 2018 and 2019.

They will be key to Europe’s green transition because, as heat pumps replace gas boilers and electric vehicles supplant internal combustion engines, highly centralised electricity production and distribution systems – power stations and grids – will simply not be able to adequately handle the huge increase in demand.

The only way forward is “energy citizenship” and to decentralise more and more, produce and consume more energy locally with sources like solar and wind – and boost storage and smart solutions for efficient energy management. All of which means involving “ordinary citizens“.

As things stand, Europe is nowhere near meeting its target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 55% in the next eight years, unless we work urgently on the role everyday citizens will have to play. And to get there, we need to explicitly recognise the social side of the energy transition.

All the research on peer-to-peer energy-sharing models showed they were far more accessible, democratised, collaborative and socially just than traditional top-down energy markets.

Fundamentally, they thrive on social interconnectedness among end-users, rather than being based on competing economic self-interests. They reinforce positive social values, and really strengthen empowerment and social engagement.

Do you also see energy citizenship and decentralized community-powered energy production as pivotal areas for powering Europe's green transition?

1 like
·
6 saves

Like
Save
Comment

www.theguardian.com

Want to join the discussion or bookmark this post for later?