RESUMO
Statistical accounting of the impacts of citizen-led energy initiatives is absent, despite their impact on increased energy self-sufficiency and ramping up of renewable energies, local sustainable development, greater citizen engagement, diversification of activities, social innovation, and acceptance of transition measures. This paper quantifies the aggregate contributions of collective action in pursuit of the sustainable energy transition in Europe. We estimate the number of initiatives (10,540), projects (22,830), people involved (2,010,600), installed renewable capacities (7.2-9.9 GW), and investments made (6.2-11.3 billion EUR) for 30 European countries. Our aggregate estimates do not suggest that collective action will replace commercial enterprises and governmental action in the short or medium term without fundamental alterations to policy and market structures. However, we find strong evidence for the historical, emerging, and actual importance of citizen-led collective action to the European energy transition. Collective action in the energy transition is experimenting successfully with new business models in the energy sector. Continued decentralization of energy systems and more stringent decarbonization policies will increase the importance of these actors in the future.
RESUMO
The digitalization of the energy sector is in progress, but Europe is about to fall behind. A human-centered design approach ensures that it takes place with, and for the benefit of, people, for which this letter puts forward policy recommendations. People need access to tailored and ready-for-use tools that help the realization of societal co-benefits, bring individual gains, remove human burdens, and ensure just participation of all societal groups. Substantial additional intellectual and financial resources are required for the development of digital tools and products to seize opportunities for citizens to engage, in the energy transition, optimize energy consumption, and manage active participation.