Periodic Reporting for period 1 - AURORA (Achieving a new European Energy Awareness.)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2021-12-01 do 2023-05-31
The AURORA project is promoting the adoption and aims to champion the role of citizens in the energy transition. AURORA is driving social communities to act on the energy transition by becoming energy communities focusing on educational drivers. AURORA is promoting an education rationale, providing citizens with first-hand experiences to create awareness of the impact that their daily decisions have on the environment and the energy system. The role of the public sector as a hub belonging to citizens is critical in our approach. We are challenging universities and municipalities to find practical ways to work with their communities to provide such education.
The general objective of AURORA is to run a citizen science initiative driven by people’s motivation to improve their carbon footprint related to electricity, heating/cooling and mobility, with the final goal of creating the first generations of Near Zero-Emission Citizens.
By upgrading current established “non pro-environmental” 4 social communities, exemplified in university communities and a rural neighbourhood cluster, to new civic consortia acting as Citizen Science hubs, AURORA empowers citizens on the path towards such climate neutrality by increasing the awareness, providing new energy
choices and thereby fostering systemic changes toward more sustainable lifestyles. AURORA targets the exploitation of the collected data through Citizen Science practices enabling novel scientific studies and improving other ones.
To accomplish its crucial mission, AURORA has set the following specific objectives.
Specific Objective 1. Mobilise together 7,000 citizens who will research on the nexus energy behaviour-climate change mitigation, by setting up 5 strategic demonstrators for implementing and testing the AURORA European Energy Awareness Rationale.
Specific Objective 2. To create the first generation of “Near Zero-Emission Citizens”, by promoting behavioural change processes through Citizen Science, environmental observation and civic consortia.
Specific Objective 3. To create Ambassadors for climate action.
The general objective of AURORA is to run a citizen science initiative driven by people’s motivation to improve their carbon footprint related to electricity, heating/cooling and mobility, with the final goal of creating the first generations of Near Zero-Emission Citizens.
By upgrading current established “non pro-environmental” 4 social communities, exemplified in university communities and a rural neighbourhood cluster, to new civic consortia acting as Citizen Science hubs, AURORA empowers citizens on the path towards such climate neutrality by increasing the awareness, providing new energy
choices and thereby fostering systemic changes toward more sustainable lifestyles. AURORA targets the exploitation of the collected data through Citizen Science practices enabling novel scientific studies and improving other ones.
To accomplish its crucial mission, AURORA has set the following specific objectives.
Specific Objective 1. Mobilise together 7,000 citizens who will research on the nexus energy behaviour-climate change mitigation, by setting up 5 strategic demonstrators for implementing and testing the AURORA European Energy Awareness Rationale.
Specific Objective 2. To create the first generation of “Near Zero-Emission Citizens”, by promoting behavioural change processes through Citizen Science, environmental observation and civic consortia.
Specific Objective 3. To create Ambassadors for climate action.
The main key working areas during the first reporting period have been:
I. The development of a quantitative energy responsibility indicator towards the goals set by the EU Green Deal. The indicator has been fully developed for 27 Member States and thoroughly reviewed by 12 international experts with positive feedback. Further improvements are still possible by adjusting levels of responsibility according to the socio-economic profile of each citizen. In effect tailoring the indicator for individual socio-economic groups.
II. The responsibility indicator has been integrated into a mobile phone app for both Android and iOS operating systems, which will be released once consortium-internal ethics agreements have been finalized and signed. The app is designed to help people monitor their habits and provides feedback regarding their behavior in three areas: electricity usage, space heating, and transport. Using the app, people can address those areas of their lives and decision-making that produce the highest levels of carbon emissions and those that request more energy demand.
III. To create educational hubs and encourage public bodies to constitute energy communities using different business models that reflect local legislative and cultural challenges. Four are now almost in place whilst the fifth, the most complex, is still in the final stages of discussion. This achievement is significant as it allows the AURORA model to be replicated and scaled in other universities and municipalities worldwide. In developing our business plans we have identified significant legal barriers that still remain in both EU and National legislation that block public institutions from taking a leadership role in the energy transition. These barriers need to be removed and a policy paper will be provided to the EU indicating what changes are required to allow Universities and Municipalities to support a quicker energy transition.
In summary, the AURORA project has made significant strides in implementing its rationale during the first 18 months of the project. AURORA comprehensive approach not only facilitates the adoption of clean energy technologies but also cultivates a culture of sustainability and inspires collective action towards a greener future.
I. The development of a quantitative energy responsibility indicator towards the goals set by the EU Green Deal. The indicator has been fully developed for 27 Member States and thoroughly reviewed by 12 international experts with positive feedback. Further improvements are still possible by adjusting levels of responsibility according to the socio-economic profile of each citizen. In effect tailoring the indicator for individual socio-economic groups.
II. The responsibility indicator has been integrated into a mobile phone app for both Android and iOS operating systems, which will be released once consortium-internal ethics agreements have been finalized and signed. The app is designed to help people monitor their habits and provides feedback regarding their behavior in three areas: electricity usage, space heating, and transport. Using the app, people can address those areas of their lives and decision-making that produce the highest levels of carbon emissions and those that request more energy demand.
III. To create educational hubs and encourage public bodies to constitute energy communities using different business models that reflect local legislative and cultural challenges. Four are now almost in place whilst the fifth, the most complex, is still in the final stages of discussion. This achievement is significant as it allows the AURORA model to be replicated and scaled in other universities and municipalities worldwide. In developing our business plans we have identified significant legal barriers that still remain in both EU and National legislation that block public institutions from taking a leadership role in the energy transition. These barriers need to be removed and a policy paper will be provided to the EU indicating what changes are required to allow Universities and Municipalities to support a quicker energy transition.
In summary, the AURORA project has made significant strides in implementing its rationale during the first 18 months of the project. AURORA comprehensive approach not only facilitates the adoption of clean energy technologies but also cultivates a culture of sustainability and inspires collective action towards a greener future.
Although educational activities have begun in a moderate way, once the app is released, people engaged, and hubs recognized, AURORA will accelerate the intensity of the activity. This includes the monitorization of energy responsibility and the development of a full set of actions to promote the potential changes in energy habits leading to acceptance that individuals can make a major contribution to the energy transition. AURORA demonstration communities have shown a positive response to the business models being developed and have been engaged with the project through its multiple events, surveys, and tests. They have also collaborated with the project promotion, and provided ideas for certain tasks, etc.
Recognizing the need for a broader impact beyond university campuses and a small rural area, AURORA is also focused on collaborating with policy-makers at the local level and key potential ambassadors such as other academics We are exploring opportunities to replicate our model in communities, municipalities, and other urban areas, further contributing to the overall goal of achieving net-zero emissions. We are building links with the EU Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. Three of our pilot sites are within the 100 cities selected and two are close to selected cities. Our work with the EU Green Deal Support Office and the collaborative presentation at a Partner event during EU Green Week has identified a number of Universities with an interest in our work and opened the opportunity to potential formal twinning arrangements. The workshop planned for the 21st EU Week of Regions and Cities in October 24 will open up this concept to a wider audience of key municipalities. Lastly, we are working closely with UNEP, the UN Science Policy Business Forum (UNSPBF ) and the Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP ) on the development of the World Environment Situation Room (WESR) citizen science portal. This portal offers all the citizen science projects working under the EU Horizon 2020 programme the opportunity to share their success and apply the UNESCO Open Science recommendations. This will open up replication opportunities world-wide. This portal is in addition to the EU Citizen Science Portal where project AURORA is already listed and where we are working closely with the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA).
Recognizing the need for a broader impact beyond university campuses and a small rural area, AURORA is also focused on collaborating with policy-makers at the local level and key potential ambassadors such as other academics We are exploring opportunities to replicate our model in communities, municipalities, and other urban areas, further contributing to the overall goal of achieving net-zero emissions. We are building links with the EU Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. Three of our pilot sites are within the 100 cities selected and two are close to selected cities. Our work with the EU Green Deal Support Office and the collaborative presentation at a Partner event during EU Green Week has identified a number of Universities with an interest in our work and opened the opportunity to potential formal twinning arrangements. The workshop planned for the 21st EU Week of Regions and Cities in October 24 will open up this concept to a wider audience of key municipalities. Lastly, we are working closely with UNEP, the UN Science Policy Business Forum (UNSPBF ) and the Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP ) on the development of the World Environment Situation Room (WESR) citizen science portal. This portal offers all the citizen science projects working under the EU Horizon 2020 programme the opportunity to share their success and apply the UNESCO Open Science recommendations. This will open up replication opportunities world-wide. This portal is in addition to the EU Citizen Science Portal where project AURORA is already listed and where we are working closely with the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA).