Access participates in a seminar on Energy Communities in Copenhagen
In October, ACCESS researchers from Aarhus University attended a seminar on energy communities in Copenhagen. The seminar was organized by Sun in the City, a Danish sister project to ACCESS, coordinated by the city of Copenhagen. The main aim of the project is to examine the establishment and feasibility of energy communities in local neighbourhoods in metropolitan areas, and thus respond to the current agenda of the EU Directive to national laws and regulation.
In close collaboration with four local areas in Copenhagen, Sun in the City engages with citizens, public institutions and businesses to examine and promote energy communities and stimulate the transition to post-carbon cities through local initiatives. The local neighbourhoods use regeneration programs as an opportunity and a platform for testing local production and sustainable consumption of clean energy, specifically solar panels and systemic smart control of heating in high rise buildings. During the seminar, similarities between the ACCESS pilot initiatives and key topics were also discussed.
The seminar targeted two specific aspects of local energy communities. Firstly, the Sun in the City model of individual energy use by households in the neighbourhood was presented. Participants discussed how a detailed overview can be integrated with the monitoring and pricing of energy at a household level, providing the structure for exchange and sharing of locally produced renewable energy. Furthermore, transparency, accessibility and the translation of expert information were discussed to motivate a higher engagement of non-expert residents to more energy-efficient behaviour.
Secondly, the seminar presented and discussed the Sun in the City framework for analysing the active engagement of the residents in the targeted urban neighbourhoods. The framework was also discussed at a public local government level in regards to the promotion and establishment of urban energy communities. Participants discussed the modes of governance, public administration and decision making. All of which can initiate and facilitate urban energy communities and also transform the roles of public policymakers in the transition to post-carbon cities through inter alia local energy communities. The complementary pillar of the framework investigates the significance of tapping into and promoting place-based communities among local social actors as the basis on which the self-sustained energy communities can be based.
Look out for more information from other ACCESS pilot sites in the future!