Policies to Strengthen the Role of Citizens in the Energy Transition

The Clean Energy Solutions Center, in partnership with Factor CO2, hosted this webinar on best practices to promote citizens’ participation in the energy transition.

Traditionally, citizens and communities have played two general roles in the deployment of energy systems: (1) captive, passive consumers and (2) barriers to specific projects because of their opposition, which results from the NIMBY, or “not in my back yard”, effect.

Renewable energy technologies provide new opportunities for citizens and communities to play an active role in the energy transition, as they can now proactively participate the energy transition. And, policy approaches have evolved to improve the relationship of citizens and communities with projects by:

• Promoting access to information on a project
• Establishing and regulating consultative processes
• Promote benefit-sharing practices
• Setting the right enabling environment to empower citizens and community and promote their active participation in, for example, community-driven renewable energy projects.

Community-driven renewable energy projects offer an unrealized opportunity for shared benefits and improving livelihoods in developing countries. While such projects are on the rise in many countries—particularly in Europe and North America—numerous barriers still limit these initiatives. The main challenges include regulations and support schemes, lack of finance and finance mechanisms, lack of local skills, social misconception of renewables, and social objection to specific projects. One of the main challenges facing these project today is that they are locked out from renewable energy power auctions.

The webinar speakers were Hugo Lucas Porta, Head of the Energy Department at Factor CO2 and Miquel Muñoz Cabré, Senior Program Manage and Policy Analyst on Clean Energy and Climate Change.

The webinar presentations were followed by an interactive question and answer session with the audience.