The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), in its efforts and commitment toward the energy transition, highlights how many renewable energy solutions are being developed involving active community participation.
Indeed, some studies underscore the key role of local energy communities in the current energy transition, particularly the importance of citizen participation in defining sustainable solutions. It is not just about politically and infrastructurally supporting the implementation of renewable energy projects but also, about fostering engaged interactions between citizens and energy technologies and their commitment to their sustainable use.
Various studies emphasize that the implementation of renewable energy projects must involve efforts to enhance the social and technical capacities of the communities where these projects are located, enabling them to participate in the design, implementation, and maintenance of such projects. Key elements to support these processes include, among other factors, raising local community awareness of their energy resources and involving young people as future community energy leaders.
IREA, in its commitment to triple renewable power capacity to contribute to sustainable development and economic growth, shows renewable energy solutions that engage communities in countries such as Rwanda and Honduras. For example, in Rwanda, a group of women use solar power on their small farms to grow fruits and vegetables, feeding their families and fostering the local economy. Similarly, in Honduras, a small community is managing a decentralized, sustainable energy project combining solar power, biomass, and battery storage to provide electricity. This project improves citizens’ living conditions by offering refrigeration for food and medicine and revitalizing the local economy.
Once again, scientific evidence points out the need to co-create with citizens—this time in the context of the global energy transition—to make it achievable.
(Image by vectorjuice from freepik)
Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Barcelona