Α stakeholder engagement approach to map risk mitigation strategies for the promotion of energy efficiency investments in Europe

Stakeholder engagement is the process of involving stakeholders in dialogue in order to determine their views, concerns and experience about a specific problem, and to determine economic, social and environmental factors that can improve the decision making. Successful engagement necessitates researchers to begin engagement early in the research process by developing a strategy and defining the activities based on the target group needs, and to integrate feedback into research processes and outputs. The objective of the present study is to propose a stakeholder engagement approach that aims at closing the gap between project developers and financing bodies and promoting the successful financing and implementation of sustainable energy projects. The proposed methodology aims at identifying the most suitable stakeholder profiles, contact them through a variety of communication means and, finally, engage them through a targeted questionnaire. The questionnaire developed focused on identifying and categorising the main strategies that could mitigate the risks hinder the financing of sustainable energy projects. Apart from the energy sector, the proposed methodology could be also used as a basis for the development of stakeholder engagement plans in different sectors of activity.