EnergyPROSPECTS partner University of Galway, in collaboration with Maastricht University and the Jacques Delors Institute hosted a workshop on ‘Energy Citizenship in Ireland’ in Dublin. With a group of 14 participants representing communities, local and national authorities and academia, the workshop examined the role that citizens can play in Ireland's energy transition and how the transformative impact of energy citizenship can be enhanced.
Key themes that emerged:
· Importance of institutional anchoring of energy citizenship in public policy and policy cohesion
· Risk of energy citizenship and transition becoming exclusively a middle-class concept
· Need for tailored messaging to different societal groups and avoidance of overly technical language
· Criticism of offloading too much risks onto citizens and energy communities
· Potential to improve procedures and costs of grid connection and remuneration for medium-scale renewable energy projects
