Project description
Energy citizenship
Climate change is a 'crisis multiplier' – a defining issue of our time. With so much at stake, the most efficient ways to consume energy are needed to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon energy future. For this, the engagement of citizens will be crucial. The EU-funded DIALOGUES project will support the Energy Union, which will help to provide secure, affordable and clean energy for EU citizens and businesses. Applying the latest research across multiple disciplines, DIALOGUES will explore the cultivation of energy citizenship from a variety of dimensions throughout the EU. The findings of the citizen-oriented energy research will improve the understanding of the drivers, barriers and potential of energy citizenship across the Energy Union.
Objective
DIALOGUES will support the Energy Union with operational research on energy citizenship that enables citizens to take a central role in the energy transition. To reach this objective the project will operationalise, contextualize, measure, and support the framework environments, policies and institutions that allow deep, inclusive energy citizenship to emerge. The key focus of DIALOGUES is on co-creating energy citizenship innovations that include the perspectives of groups currently on the margins of the energy transition such as, women, low-income households, energy poor, and ethnic minorities. DIALOGUES central methodological pillar is grounded in tested inter- and transdisciplinary techniques, with a spotlight on open innovation and co-design of the research process through novel Citizen Action Labs in 8 countries. For the policy and research communities, DIALOGUES will move the idea of energy citizenship forward to an operational concept that offers actionable policy insights, applied research tools and a unifying theory for citizen-oriented energy research. The project will develop tools to measure the degree, and map the modes, of expressing energy citizenship, related KPIs, a policy decision tool, and a Knowledge Platform linking all project data and results. Policymakers & stakeholders from the DIALOGUES levels of analysis: community, local/regional, and national/supranational, will be included through co-creative workshops and policy briefs. A Policy Advisory Group of leading energy experts, research centres and institutions, local governments, city networks and NGOs will frame the DIALOGUES research process to ensure maximum impact on all geo-political levels. The project will foster deep, multilateral exchanges with the 72 supporting organisations, in 13 nations, including Canada whose partnership allows DIALOGUES to extend the dissemination network significantly and improve scientific robustness through sharing best-practices and comparative analysis.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
4040 Linz
Austria