Community energy An analysis of public initiatives in the energy transition in Utrecht

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse the individual conditions under which citizens can and will participate in community energy. This has been done by adopting the framework of Mees (2020). With the use of this framework, eight conditions of community energy are identified. Criteria and indicators for these conditions are set forth. These criteria are analysed and given a score from high to low. In order to draw a conclusion, the scores are then translated to scores of weak, moderate and strong. The main conclusions are that the conditions ‘expected return on investment’, ‘perceived salience’ and ‘environmental values’ are classified as strong conditions for the participation in community energy. Furthermore, the conditions ‘group identification’, ‘subjective capacity’ and ‘sense of own responsibility’ are graded as moderate conditions for the participation in community energy. Moreover, the condition ‘objective capacity’ is classified as a weak condition for community energy. Finally, the condition ‘peer pressure’ is not given a score because of misalignment of the data. These results can be used to increase the participation in community energy and to support the energy transition. The authorities can for example make education about climate change a compulsory subject. This will increase the perceived salience, which will stimulate the participation in community energy