D3.1 – Report on survey and structured interview results for identifying potential emergence and consolidation factors

This part of the ENCLUDE project focuses on the emergence and consolidation of collective

energy initiatives, aiming to understand the factors contributing to energy citizenship from a

group-centered sociological perspective. Two frameworks, Energy Cultures and the Socio-

Ecological Systems Framework for Integrated Community Energy Systems, are used to iden-

tify influential factors within and around communities. The methodology involves a three-stage

process: identifying cases, surveying initiative members, and conducting interviews with rep-

resentatives and experts. The analysis shows a good fit between organizers and participants

regarding goals and understanding of initiatives and a relatively low incidence of conflicts, with

only 15% of survey respondents indicating any kind of conflicts. Bureaucratic barriers, lack of

funding, and lack of support by authorities rank high as barriers and fields for improvement.

Regarding social composition, different initiative types attract different but relatively specific

citizen groups, emphasizing the need for inclusivity and engaging individuals with various so-

cioeconomic backgrounds. Identifying opportunities to integrate broader and more diverse cit-

izen groups, requires follow-up research to explore push- and pull-factors for different target

groups, and additional factors affecting collective energy initiatives and concrete success cri-

teria. Future research may focus on energy poverty, political and economic settings, planned

and achieved impact, regulations, funding, community culture, barriers faced by communities,

and members' relationship with technologies. The presented findings provide valuable starting

points for in-depth work into these factors and may thereby help in shaping collective energy

initiatives, emphasizing inclusivity, community culture, and addressing barriers for a just and

inclusive energy transition.