Locality, community and the energy transition
This post will draw on three papers published this year which are all concerned with the role of locally based energy projects in the transition towards net zero. The first discusses the situation in the UK; the second addresses the wider European picture; and the third concentrates on community energy in Portugal. Each paper covers a range of issues, but here the focus will be on the importance of community engagement and how to promote and evaluate it.
UK energy projects
Gupta, Zahiri and Gregg (2026) consider three kinds of
project in the UK: community energy, local energy, and smart local energy
systems; their study suggests ways in which the effectiveness of such projects
can be improved. The differences between projects described by the terms community
energy, local energy, and smart local energy systems can be loosely summed up
as follows.
Community energy projects are typically owned and controlled
by members of a local community and aim to benefit the community. They often involve
renewable energy generation and energy efficiency measures and may try to
achieve change in energy use through education. Surplus income from projects is
invested locally.
Local energy projects are defined by place, but do not
necessarily involve community ownership. Local authorities, Distribution System
Operators and private developers may be the main drivers of the projects, and
community energy groups may or may not be involved. Projects can include microgrids,
district heating, and local energy markets as well as local generation.
Smart Local Energy is a term used for decentralized energy
projects aiming to decarbonize energy use while emphasizing local benefits.
Projects are likely to be driven by several parties such as local government,
technology companies, and energy companies; community groups are not
necessarily involved. Projects are likely to feature system optimisation and
smart integration using digital platforms.
Projects and evaluation
The study used information on 445 local energy projects in
the UK and covered the years 2008 to 2020. Of these projects, 210 were Community
Energy (CE) initiatives, 91 were Local Energy (LE) and 144 were Smart Local
Energy Systems (SLES). Analysis considered the energy technologies and energy
forms, the lead actors and funding sources, location, commencement year, and user
engagement and its evaluation.
Projects were concentrated in “regions with a strong
presence of community energy organizations, engaged local authorities, and
favourable technological conditions such as renewable capacity or grid
constraints.” CE projects were associated with strong community networks, LE
projects with proactive local authorities, and SLES projects with the need for
advanced grid management solutions and with private sector or DNO actors. The
authors suggest that “successful deployment of local energy projects depends on
a combination of technological capability, institutional support, and social
capital”. They noted that “only one-third of SLES projects incorporated any
form of user engagement.” In general, engagement activities were one-off
events, and there was little attempt to use approaches which could capture “how
users initially engage, interact with technologies, and adapt over time.” Only
8% of CE, 15% of LE, and 25% of SLES projects included both engagement and its
evaluation.
The authors believe that the “limited use of evaluation –
especially longitudinal evaluation – represents a missed opportunity to assess
project effectiveness, enhance trust, and improve scalability.” They see community
groups and local authorities as “well-placed to foster inclusion, trust, and
user empowerment” but stress the need for “stable funding, clearer mandates,
and stronger integration into national policy frameworks”. The Great British
Energy initiative (GOV.UK, 2025) and Local Power Plan (LPP, 2026) “signal a
renewed commitment to localized clean energy” and offer opportunities for
improved user engagement with projects. Success will depend on “embedding
rigorous engagement strategies, supported by continuous evaluation and shared
learning.” Future projects are likely to integrate artificial intelligence,
automation, and user-centred digital interfaces. Projects may include aspects
of CE, LE and SLES, combining “technical sophistication with social
embeddedness” and user engagement should be a core design principle.
Renewable energy in Europe
Lowitzsch (2026) notes the growth in renewable energy (RE) and
stresses the importance of “empowering energy citizens, fostering active
engagement, and overcoming resistance to RE deployment” if the European Union is
to promote continued growth. This author explores conditions for successful
engagement, individual versus collective participation, and the role of
ownership in fostering inclusion.
Civic engagement in the EU
Possibilities for civic engagement for consumers and
producers exist “from the local to the regional and the national levels” and
from the political to the economic sphere. Lowitzsch sees climate change, the
COVID crisis, and war in Ukraine as “catalysts for RE but also for social
segregation and injustice”. More people could be activated as energy citizens, and
private investments in RE are needed but “structural empowerment for citizens
to invest in RE is missing”.
Some groups such as women, people with a migrant background,
and those with low education or low income have limited opportunity to take
part in the energy transition. Male dominance in technical areas, unequal
distribution of care work and the gender pay gap may partly account for women
not engaging in the energy system. Other social groups may need to be specifically
targeted if they are to know about energy communities and feel welcome in them.
Lack of education can lead to a worse position on the labour
market, which can result in lack of access to finance, and lack of time and
social capital, all of which can make participation in energy projects
unlikely. The state “has an outstanding responsibility to develop an
institutional setting that would facilitate inclusive energy citizenship.”
Citizen engagement can be encouraged through campaigns,
networks, research projects, and the workspace, but barriers exist, such as lack
of legal competency, complex administrative frameworks, and lack of political
will and public awareness. Local authorities have a role in educating citizens
about the energy transition and in working on issues of social justice,
diversity, and inclusivity.
Pleasure and empowerment in Portugal
Moniz, Oliveira and Neves (2026), like the authors cited
above, recognise the importance of energy communities, which “allow people to
produce, share, and manage renewable energy together, helping reduce carbon
emissions and decentralize the energy system.” These groups can only succeed if
people want to participate, and the study explores the motivation of those who
engage with energy communities, “especially the influence of positive emotions
and the feeling of empowerment.” The research aims “to identify the factors
impacting engagement in energy communities and related activities.” It is based
on a survey of Portuguese citizens, and its insights “can help policymakers and
practitioners create more engaging and citizen-centred sustainable initiatives.”
Motivations for engagement
Two theories about motivation are central to the study. One
is related to Hedonic theory, which is concerned with the basic human drive to
experience pleasure and avoid pain, and the other to Empowerment theory, which focusses
on how individuals and communities can gain control over their lives.
More specifically, the study draws on how people have
related to the introduction of those technologies which provide pleasure,
entertainment or social interaction: hedonic systems. A theory describing how
such technologies come to be accepted is known as the Hedonic-Motivation System
Adoption Model (HMSAM), and the research applies this framework to engagement
with energy communities.
The application of Empowerment theory depends on context,
but it has three primary components: intrapersonal empowerment, which implies
personal influence over social and political systems; interactional empowerment,
which focuses on effective engagement with one’s environment; and behavioural
empowerment, which affects the social and political spheres. The concept can be
broken down into four dimensions: competence, meaning, impact, and
self-determination. Competence requires the skills needed to perform
effectively; meaning is the personal significance of an activity, impact relates
to its results, and self-determination to the feeling of being responsible for it.
The authors have extended the HMSAM using empowerment theory
to provide “a deeper understanding of the psychological and emotional factors
that drive individuals to participate in energy communities.”
Their research reveals the importance of joy, curiosity, and
empowerment in promoting engagement in energy communities and related
activities. Participants gain a “sense of expertise and purpose” and feel able
to contribute to society. The research advocates a citizen-centred perspective,
“rather than the institutional or operational focus that dominates previous
research”. It supports and extends the “importance of emotional and social
dimensions in shaping sustainable behaviours” and “complements research based
on social identity and pro-environmental behaviour theories, where community commitment,
trust, and knowledge were highlighted as substantial predictors of
participation.” An understanding of motivation can help create more inclusive
energy communities and maximise “the positive impact that energy communities
can achieve at larger scales.”
References
GOV.UK, 2025, Great British Energy Strategic Plan, 2025,
online, accessed 22 April 2026
https://www.gbe.gov.uk/strategic-plan-2025-html
Gupta, Zahiri and Gregg, 2026, Energy transition through
community energy, local energy and smart local energy system initiatives in the
UK: a systematic review of technologies, ownership and user engagement, Gupta, R.,
Zahiri, S., and Gregg, M., Advances
in Building Energy Research, 20:1, 33-61, online, accessed 17 April 2026
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17512549.2025.2562190
Lowitzsch, 2026, Developing Energy Citizenship—Empowerment
Through Engagement and (Co-) Ownership, Individually and in Energy Communities,
Lowitzsch J. et al., 2026, Social Sciences, online, accessed 22 April
2026
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/15/1/56
LPP, 2026, Great British Energy Local Power Plan, Department
for Energy Security & Net Zero, online, accessed 22 April 2026
Moniz, Oliveira and Neves, 2026, Fostering energy
communities’ engagement: the role of empowerment and hedonic motivations, 2026,
Moniz D., Oliveira, T., and Neves, C., Global sustainability, online,
accessed 22 April 2026
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