As energy prices have surged throughout Europe, affecting all households (directly or indirectly) through their energy bill, citizens increasingly want to contribute to the renewable energy transition. Next to market parties and government, the role of citizens in energy communities (ECs) in developing Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) can and should be strengthened, and wider groups of citizens can be involved. From this shared problem and understanding, this project wants to create and co-develop P2P citizens-based support and information systems that are inclusive of energy vulnerable groups and which fosters active energy citizenship. Moreover, PEDs need to be embedded within the wider energy system by creating reliable entities such as organized ECs with intermediary roles, linking supply, demand, and storage in the energy market. By zooming out, the project develops new concepts for strategic spatial energy planning through co-creation with neighborhoods and community networks in the wider urban region. In COPPER (Creating, Optimizing and Planning Positive EneRgy districts: connecting citizens’ energy at different geographical levels) local ECs in Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway share experiences in an interdisciplinary and intersectoral way. Concretely, this project facilitates P2P support systems, models energy markets and improves strategic and integrated spatial energy planning.
COPPER: Creating, Optimizing and Planning Positive EneRgy districts while connecting citizens’ energy at different geographical levels
- Duration
- 1 February 2024 until 1 March 2027
- Project member(s)
- Dr M.A. Wiering (Mark) Dr H.J. Kooij (Henk-Jan) , Dr. ir. Ronald van Buuren (HAN) , Dr. Karl Sperling (AAU) , Dr. Anders Horsbøl (AAU) , Dr. Peter Sorknæs (AAU) , Dr. Kristian Borch (Ruralis) , Dr. Susana Batel Iscte (Centre for Psychological Research and Intervention) , Stephan C. Krabsen (EBO Consult A/S) , Maja Clemmensen (EBO Consult A/S) , Arid Refsland (SEAS) , Roger Lars (SEAS) , Edesio Miranda-Barbosa (SEAS) , Susanna Håland (SEAS) , Klaudia Tolstow (Eigersund Næring og Havn)
- Project type
- Research
Funding
NWO, SIA, Innovation Fund of Denmark (IFD), Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Research Council of Norway (RCN)
Partners
Aalborg University, Universitário de Lisboa, Ruralis, HAN, EBO Consult, SEAS, Eigersund Kommune