Enclude - Energy Citizens for Inclusive Decarbonization

Enclude - Energy Citizens for Inclusive Decarbonization

Contact
Benoit Verhulst
Main Organisation
Department/Sector/Unit
TdLab
Other Organisations
University of Piraeus Research Center
Technische Universiteit Delft
University College Cork
University Glasgow
Joanneum Research
Think!E
Utrecht University
Green Partners
Eko-Svest
Missions Publiques
Holistic Ike
University of Victoria

Description

The overall vision of the Horizon 2020 project Energy Citizens for Inclusive Decarbonization (ENCLUDE) is to help the EU to fulfill its promise of a just and inclusive decarbonization pathway through sharing and co-creating new knowledge and practices that maximize the number and diversity of citizens who are willing and able to contribute to the energy transition.

In the transformation of the energy system, citizens are becoming increasingly important as engaged, involved and shaping participants. This role of participatory energy consumers is reflected in the term "energy citizen". ENCLUDE aims to share new knowledge and motivate the broadest possible population to contribute to the energy transition.

This transdisciplinary project will create a typology of the energy citizenship concept for diverse communities of citizens by investigating on-the-ground case studies of existing decarbonization activities. For the first time, insights about who is affected by energy citizenship and how this concept might affect decarbonization pathways will be incorporated into agent-based models and integrated assessment models. The research aims to therefore operationalize the energy citizenship concept at multiple scales of policy and decision making.

Through the creation of the ENCLUDE Academy for Energy Citizen Leadership, new knowledge about energy citizenship, opportunities for the energy transition, along with strategies for collaborative decision making and joint problem framing will be shared with citizens and NGOs across the EU. The aim is to help mobilize actions for decarbonization, including communities that normally do not or are not able to participate in these civic processes.

Participation Spectrum

When and Where

Start Year
2021
End Year
2024
Other Country

Policy Context

Participants

Participants
300
Communities or representatives involved
Citizens willing to launch a energy citizenship project in their community
Citizens involved in energy communities
NGO active in energy communities
Cities promoting energy communities
How were the Participants selected?
Through what means citizens knew about the call for participation?
Open call on social networks
Direct contact through our networks

Methodologies

Events
20
Methodology description
The ENCLUDE Academy for Energy Citizen Leadership is an online program for leadership development and civic engagement for decarbonization. Participants hone their individual leadership and collective organization skills and connect to one another and to energy experts. The program aims to help people that are interested in making a change in their own communities to reduce carbon emissions. It is for people who want support in realizing concrete ideas they already have related to the energy transition or those who would like to find that idea.

Impact

Main Outcomes and Lasting Achievement
Scientific publications :https://encludeproject.eu/resources/scientific-publications
Interactive policy platform: https://encludeproject.eu/interactive-policy-platform
A Changemaker’s Guide
to the Energy Transition: https://encludeproject.eu/sites/default/files/2024-06/20240606-ENCLUDE-Changemaker%27s-Guide.pdf
Other Feedback
It was build with the participants
Were the methodologies used elsewhere?
Written down into a book

Assessment

Main Challenges
Reason for such challenges and solutions
Some ambiguity about the invovlement required from the participants.
We then need to adapt the format of the sessions and the length of the project
Lessons Learn
- Get a concrete reward for the participant involved in a long process
- Adapt to what the participants are willing and aiming to do in the process and eventually divide the group based on that
- Balance to find between very concrete outcome and more abstract outcome
Recommendation
Have at least one on-site event
Have a shorter process but with longer sessions