Responsible research and Innovation Policy Experimentations for Energy Transition

Project Information

RIPEET

Grant agreement ID: 101006295

DOI

10.3030/101006295

Project closed

EC signature date 20 November 2020

Start date 1 February 2021

End date 31 January 2024

Funded under

• Integrate society in science and innovation issues, policies and activities in order to integrate citizens' interests and values and to increase the quality, relevance, social acceptability and sustainability of research and innovation outcomes in various fields of activity from social innovation to areas such as biotechnology and nanotechnology

Total cost

€ 1 999 831,25

EU contribution

€ 1 999 831,25

Coordinated by

ZENTRUM FUR SOZIALE INNOVATION GMBH
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RIPEET (Responsible research and Innovation Policy Experimentations for Energy Transition)

Reporting period: 2022-08-01 to 2024-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The energy system has become a focal point of discussions on how to transform society towards a more sustainable lifestyle. The search for new processes to accelerate the energy transition in the EU towards renewable energy sources has intensified due to global geo-political developments and increased political awareness for the effects of climate change. A crucial factor in this search is the proclamation of a just energy transition that leaves no one behind. The RIPEET project operated in this context and tested an experimental approach to R&I in the energy system. In Extremadura (ES), Highlands and Islands of Scotland (UK) and Ostrobothnia (FI) the project set up so called “Transition Labs” that provided the frame for a needs-oriented, participatory innovation approach towards sustainable energy futures. The Transition Lab brought together the incumbents of the energy sector with previously unheard voices and tried to establish a governance framework based on regional societal needs and connected to bottom-up created visions for sustainable energy futures. The project highlighted the potential of societal engagement in the energy transition, correcting purely technical perspectives on R&I in the energy system that neglect the relevance of local and regional actors and their practices. The project also demonstrated that regions can and should play a crucial role in the energy transition. Often regions lack resources, skills and funding or are inhibited by structural barriers to take an active role in the energy transition and in energy innovation. The TLs contributed to strengthening regional transformative capacities, not only in incumbent actors but in all stakeholder groups of the quintuple helix, mobilising also small-scale actors. Involving regions in systemic transformations can ensure a more place-based, just, and inclusive process and outcomes.
The TLs created new relations between actors in the regions, marking a shift in all three regions on who would be included in future activities in the regional energy transition and creating more trusting, eye-level relationships. The inclusive format created small-scale, and community based social innovations, that also included social considerations in the energy transition. The Transition Lab approach worked well to engage with regional actors, because the focus was put on practical actions and challenges that are relevant in their work and daily life. The TTL further was successful in strengthening regional capacities to steer a place-based and inclusive energy transition through small-scale and community-based social innovations. It empowered previously unheard actors in taking an active role in their regional development and shaping an energy future tailored to their needs.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Based on the extensive material developed on Transition Lab implementation (Handbook and toolbox), the process was implemented in the regions, culminating in a "Call for Energy Innovation Solutions".
While the Call for Solutions, conducted like a public tender, did not comprise many specifications on the nature of the solution, it did include the obligation to go through a co-creation process with stakeholders from the quintuple helix while developing the solution, respecting RRI processes dimensions at the same time. In Extremadura and the Outer Hebrides (Highlands and Islands), one solution each was selected, and in Ostrobothnia the funding was divided between two different but related solutions. In Extremadura, the Transition Lab co-created a platform that informs the citizens of the region about the establishment of energy communities, including a website, online courses and a network of promoters across the entire region. In the Outer Hebrides, the solution revolved around establishing a local energy company and investigating solutions for energy efficient housing. The solutions in Ostrobothnia both dealt with the topic of energy transitions and energy calculation in villages. In all three regions, the solution provider, together with the regional team, established a co-creation process with members of the Transition Lab but also inviting new members directly affected by the solution (for example village inhabitants). Further, the RIPEET mutual leanrning programme was implemtend, focusing on how to organise regional energy transition processes with a societal needs-based focus and on sharing experiences in organising energy transitions. The Peer Learning concluded with a workshop with the energy innovation stakeholders from the mirror and pilots, and in addition regional representatives in Brussels, e.g. exploring the replication of the RIPEET approach in the context of the EU missions or the Partnership for Regional Innovation. In addition, the second period focused on analysis of the policy conditions and implications for integrating RRI-principles into regional energy transitions. Analysis revealed a lack of citizen involvement in energy innovation policy frameworks, identified potentials and barriers of policy co-creation, and the impacts of the TL process on transformative capacities. Finally, a position paper synthesised the policy insights and elaborated implications for RIS3 and further regional innovation policies.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

One of the main results of the project was the validation of the Transition Lab model as suitable R&I governance framework for just energy transition in a regional context. In all three regions, RRI principles were successfully introduced into the R&I process. While it required some translation work by regional partners, breaking down the concepts to a more practical level, at the end the principles had contributed to inclusive processes that included previously unheard voices, successfully solved tensions between different stakeholder interests and created viable solutions for the regions.
Even though all regions already had a strategy for their energy sector, the co-created visions brought new perspectives from different stakeholder groups to the table. They provided a validation and legitimisation for pushing for just transitions and for including civil society in the process. The innovation outcomes of the process will have long-term benefits for the regions. The calculation tool and smart village strategy provide methods that can be scaled out and implemented elsewhere. The online resources and network of promoters will continue to increase knowledge and awareness of energy communities in Extremadura. In the Outer Hebrides, the Island Centre for Net Zero, a recently established initiative, will include the RIPEET methodology and work on further achieving the co-created vision. In Ostrobothnia, the new regional democracy strategy will take on parts of the RIPEET methodology. Different avenues for replication of the RIPEET methodology are explored in the mirror territories and in other flagship EU projects focusing on “Renewable Energy Valleys”.
The RIPEET methodology complements several EU frameworks with bottom-up experimentation, it provides a method for more stakeholder inclusion, for example for the new smart specialisation strategies. The Partnerships for Regional Innovation Handbook features many of the principles and methods applied in RIPEET, thus the project’s experiences can serve as a guideline for implementing the PRI strategy in other regions, as well as Ostrobothnia and Extremadura, who are two of the PRI pilot regions.

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