Table 2 Drivers of citizen engagement in CECs25.
Improved subsidy support | Increased promotion of investments in renewables by passing laws governing community and local ownership in the energy sector, introducing a mixture of grants and tax advantages to the community energy landscape |
Increased institutional support | Higher institutional recognition of time and capacity requirements of CEC members, and simplified planning processes |
Early-stage funding and access to alternative forms of finance | Funding delivered in a way that ensures early-stage funding to enable the development of innovative technologies and new business models and for project consolidation |
Better information and knowledge sharing | Greater attention to delivering capacity building such as advice, one-stop-shops, learning about new business models, and technical knowledge to allow communities to make informed decisions and access new opportunities |
Increasing local cohesion and sense of community | Promote policies that strengthen local cohesiveness and interpersonal trust within communities to increase citizens’ willingness to contribute to the community and participate in CECs |
Fostering new partnerships | Supporting partnerships among citizens, government, local authorities, industry organisations, and commercial developers to overcome technical and funding barriers |
Support new technical innovations and alternative business models | Look into flexibility services and emerging new approaches to energy production, transfer, and consumption. Innovations include battery storage, demand side management (DSM), demand side response (DSR), flexibility services, peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading, vehicle to grid (V2G), smart grids and energy systems |
