Abstract Summary
There is now a clear urgency to achieving the energy transition (IEA, 2022). In Europe, for example, the energy production and use sector account for over 75% of GHG emissions. The European commission set targets to accelerate the development of clean energy and to reach 42.5 % renewable energy by 2030 in the Renewable Energy Directive (European Commission, 2018). Within this they establish and include new provisions for Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), many of which are being developed in rural areas. Increasing citizen engagement in RECs is thus paramount if EU targets are to be met. There are many possible constellations of RECs and understanding preferences, expressed by different societal and cultural groups can support REC development and increase engagement. Cultural and individual differences add to the complexities surrounding engagement (de Witte et al., 2021). Thus, this research focusses on understanding preferences for engagement strategies and levels, focusing on 1. frequency of engagement (e.g. yearly, monthly, weekly etc.), 2. financial and non-financial intervention strategies (e.g., gamification, investment, information); and 3. varying levels of automated energy use (e.g. automation with no opt out to occasional monitoring) for members and potential members of RECs. This will be achieved through the application of a discrete choice experiment (DCE) included within a multinational study across various European countries (e.g. Spain, Greece, Austria, Ireland). Participants make 6 choices, choosing between 3 alternatives and 1 status quo option, displaying different engagement constellations of RECs displayed through the attributes 1-3 (see above). In the talk, we present key overall findings and specific results for select European countries. References De Witte, N. A., Adriaensen, I., Broeckx, L., Van Der Auwera, V., & Van Daele, T. (2021). Cross-cultural differences in user-centred research: an international living lab survey. Health Informatics Journal, 27(3), 14604582211038268. European Commission, (2018). Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC), retrieved 15.11.23 from https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-directive-targets-and-rules/renewable-energy-directive_en#directive-20182001eu IEA (2022), World Energy Outlook 2022, IEA, Paris htps://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2022, License: CC BY 4.0 (report); CC BY NC SA 4.0 (Annex A). Shortall, R., Mengolini, A., & Gangale, F. (2022). Citizen Engagement in EU Collective Action Energy Projects. Sustainability, 14(10), 5949.
