THE PROJECT
We are greta, a project that paves the path to active energy citizenship and communities. Energy citizenship means that every one of us can use energy in a sustainable way and participate in the energy transition.
The challenge
The EU aims to reach climate neutrality by 2050. This goal can only be achieved if citizens are given equal opportunity to take action towards it.
Energy citizenship
Energy citizenship means that every one of us can use energy in a sustainable way to move towards active participation in the energy transition.
The project
GRETA studies the social side of the energy transition. We want to understand how energy citizenship works in different contexts and geographical levels. What kind of knowledge, social structures, technology or financial resources are needed to make an active energy citizen?
Case studies
From 2021 to 2023, we will be working with energy communities in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Citizens in these communities will adopt renewable energy, use electric vehicles, monitor their energy consumption and participate in the sustainable planning of mobility both within their cities and internationally.
GRETA will also launch a first-of-its-kind EU-wide empirical citizen consultation. Our survey will be sent to energy customers, suppliers, intermediaries, retailers and policymakers in 25 countries, driving unique insights about the emergence of energy citizenship.
OBJECTIVES
GRETA studies solutions and provides recommendations on how to achieve civic energy empowerment through energy citizenship. The project has five objectives.
- To understand who energy citizens are.
- To understand how energy citizens act and interact.
- To develop and test behavioural strategies, approaches and models for facilitating energy citizenship.
- To realize impact by scaling approaches from local to regional, national, and supranational levels.
- To improve the policymaking process.
OUTPUTS
We create roadmaps for decarbonisation that enhance energy citizenship. Our findings will help policymakers encourage active citizen participation in the energy transition.
Policy recommendations
We will translate our findings into thematic policy briefs that are tailored to inform EU policymakers.
GRETA OPCE
All of our research materials and data will be stored in one place, the GRETA Open Portfolio for Civic Energy Empowerment. The portfolio is open to everyone.
Project partners
LUT University
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research
University of Bologna
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research
Cleanwatts
Kaskas Media
GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
Tecnalia
Our External Expert Advisory Board
Miranda Schreurs (Chair)
Technical University of Munich, Germany
Ana Rita Antunes
Coopérnico, renewable energies’ cooperative, Portugal
Anna Lisa Boni
Municipality of Bologna, Italy
Piero De Sabbata
ENEA – Laboratory of Urban and Industrial District Cross-Technologies, Italy
Claus Doll
Fraunhofer Transportation Alliance – Working Group Mobility, Germany
Antonio Frighi
ACER Bologna, Public Real Estate Asset Manager, Italy
Giovanni Ginocchini
Fondazione per l’Innovazione Urbana, Italy
Pirjo Jantunen
Clean Energy Ambassador to the IEA’s C3E programme, Finland
Juan Luis Llorens
UR BEROA, energy efficiency-driven cooperative, Spain
Maria Rehbinder
Certified Information Privacy Professional, Finland
Marianne Ryghaug
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Alessandro Sciullo
University of Turin, Italy
Roman Sieler
Generation Climate Europe, Belgium
Our sibling projects
Join the community
Are you taking part in GRETA’s case studies? Join the GRETA Community on Facebook! In the community, you can share your experiences and best energy-related practises, learn from other community members, participate in the co-design of GRETA’s processes and keep up to date on our project news.