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Newsletter #4

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SCORE Co-own. Prosume. Renew.
   
 
   
Supporting Consumer Ownership of Renewable Energies
 
SCORE is an EU-funded project facilitating consumer ownership of renewable energy through innovative and inclusive financing techniques.
 
 
 
 
 
   
Dear SCORE-community,
(1) wind turbine
It has been an eventful time at the SCORE project since we were last in touch. Three SCORE partners presented SCORE at a large national event in Germany. Our project partner in Italy conducted a survey amongst citizens in our pilot projects. And last but not least, we have made extensive material avail­able for you to download if you are interested in becoming a follower city. We wish you an enjoyable and inspiring read.
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
Recent Event
   
   
  
  
   
April 2021:
   
   
   
Major national SCORE workshop at the Berlin Energy Days
   
   
(2) green city
   
   
How can the REDII transposition help to advance Renewable Energy Communities and electricity sharing in Germany? This question was the core of a major national event organised by the SCORE partner co2online together with the European University Viadrina and the City of Essen. The event took place within the context of the “Berliner Energietage” (Berlin Energy Days) on 21 April 2021.

Three presentations laid the foundation of the event. Prof Maik Wolf from the Technical University Dresden spoke about the legal framework of the REDII transposition. Prof Jens Lowitzsch from the European University Viadrina, head of the SCORE project, explained the concept of the Consumer Stock Ownership Plan (CSOP). Hubert Vornholt from the SCORE partner City of Essen presented the first German CSOP pilot project, the Franz Sales Haus.

In the subsequent panel discussion, representatives from European politics, science, local authorities and citizen energy discussed the framework conditions necessary for inclusive renewable energy communities and for joint projects of local authorities and citizens.
   
   
   
Quotes from the panel
   
   
(3) online panel
   
   
• “So far, only 10-15% of the population have actively been taking part in the energy transition.” Jens Lowitzsch, European University Viadrina
• “In order to achieve our climate goals, we need to build additional wind and solar energy plants and establish models allowing every citizen to invest in and benefit from these systems. Local authorities are crucial to this process.” Felix Benjamin Schäfer, Bürgerwerke e.G.
• “The legal frameworks are basically in place.” Maik Wolf, Technical University Dresden
• “It is insufficient to implement policies that are supported only by some 20% of the population. We need to include everybody if we want to make the energy transition a success.” Jutta Paulus, MEP
• “The pilot project of the Franz Sales Haus can be our blueprint for additional projects in Essen.” Simone Raskob, City of Essen
   
   
The event was attended by more than 300 representatives from science, public authorities, utilities, energy cooperatives, energy agencies and consultants, science and civil society.

Watch the seminar on Youtube 
Download the presentations 
   
   
 
   
 
   
   
Inspiration for interested Follower Cities
   
(4) city cascais in portugal
   
Are you playing with the thought of becoming a follower city? We now have extensive material available for you on our website. In April, SCORE partner Climate Alliance organised a major online workshop at which many follower cities presented their projects, challenges and progress.

We have made the workshop and all presentations available for you. Maybe they can serve you as inspiration for your own project. Please feel free to contact us any time.
   
 
   
 
   
Project Status
   
   
(5) solar panel
   
   
Survey among citizens in SCORE pilot projects
 
One of the aims of the SCORE project is to identify drivers and barriers for consumer co-ownership in renewable energy sources (RES). Based on the experience of the pilot projects, the SCORE team is now fine-tuning the prosumer financing instruments. The next step will then be to transfer the CSOP financing model to other EU member states.
   
   
For this purpose, the SCORE team designed a questionnaire and conducted a survey among consumers. The aim of the survey was to identify the main interests of consumers in co-ownership and their support for the energy transition. The survey addressed the following questions.

 
• Energy communities: what makes citizens engage in local energy initiatives?
• Which factors help citizens and which ones prevent them from participation?
• What is the relationship / identification with the community they live in?
• What are the technical data about the house or apartment they live in?
• What are the economic, social and demographic characteristics of the interviewees?

 Consequently, homogeneous groups of citizens were defined via cluster analysis (CA). As these groups share the same characteristics, group-specific suggestions for inclusion policies have been proposed. The cluster analysis produced four clusters for each of the case studies Susa Valley, Litomerice and Essen, as will be explained below the picture.
   
   
(6) SCORE pilot project
   
   
• Cluster 1 (green) is composed of people interested in participating in a Renewable Energy Community (REC) They are interested in citizen participation and in economic investments. They support actions for energy efficiency and are ready to adapt their behaviour accordingly. They feel closely attached to the community they live in. In short, they are ready to fully participate in a community project based on renewable energy, and no training is needed for them.

 
• Cluster 2 (orange) is composed of respondents with a general interest and a willingness to participate in community projects based on renewable energies. Their feelings towards the community are, in general, positive. However, they are not entirely convinced of the concept of energy communities. So they need to be actively encouraged and involved with targeted actions and tailor-made incentives.

 
• Cluster 3 (yellow) is composed of citizens with a similar profile as Cluster 2 but with a lower interest in community projects. Furthermore, they do not feel strongly connected to the community they live in. To address citizens from this cluster, specific inclusion policies should be established. Most importantly, the sense of belonging to the community should be strengthened.

 
• Cluster 4 (red) is composed of people who are not interested in participating in a REC. Neither are they interested in citizen participation or in economic investments. They expressed reservations about the questions asked. Including them in an energy community is certainly a challenge.
   
   
(7) handshake
   
   
The most supportive respondents were those from the pilot case Essen: 57 % of the interviewees belonged to the first cluster, 13 % to the second cluster. The case study of Susa Valley has 36 % of the interviewees in the first cluster and 38 % in the second. In the Litomerice case study, 34 % of the respondents belong to the first cluster and 22 % to the second cluster. The respondents belonging to cluster 4, representing those absolutely not interested, are few in all three pilots: 6 % for the Italian case study, 3 % for the Czech Republic case study and only 2 % for the German case study.
   
   
 
   
 
   
   
Related topics: Women in energy transition
(8) women working together
Publication by SCORE partner CSD
 
A green and just energy transition is a great opportunity to simultaneously address the issue of gender inequality and climate justice in the EU and Western Balkans. Marking International Women's History Month, Dr Radostina Primova from the SCORE partner Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) published an article for the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
In her publication, she focuses on the role of women as emerging leaders in the regional renewable energy sector and examines the barriers in engendering the energy transition. She also highlights the opportunities that the European green recovery could bring in terms of decentralization of energy supply. Dr Primova promotes co-ownership of renew­able energy sources and the empowerment of women as part of the vulnerable groups. Moreover, she refers to the findings of the SCORE project about the potential of energy communities for fostering inclusion of women and low-income households in the energy transition process.

Download the Political Trends & Dynamics edition on "Women Leaders in Energy Transition" 
   
 
 
 
 
   
   
Upcoming event
Long night of citizen energy
 
On 30 June 2021, the deadline for transposing the European Renewable Energies Directive into German law is expiring. The directive puts citizens at the centre of the energy transition. But new participation models have not yet been implemented as prescribed by EU law. The German government has so far ignored the clear requirements of EU law.
(9) long night of citizen energy on 30 June 2021
In particular, German energy law is continually lacking community self-sufficiency and the right to energy sharing for citizen energy communities. Therefore, the Bündnis Bürger­energie is inviting politicians from all democratic factions to a dialogue - and the whole citizen energy community to the digital Long Night of Citizen Energy to discuss together the concepts, implementation in other countries and plans on how to increase the pressure on the federal government.
   
Highlights of the programme
 
The Long Night of Citizen Energy will start on 30 June 2021 at 18:00 CEST and will run until midnight. The event will take place as a video conference via Zoom. The colourful programme includes the following.
 
• a panel discussion with members of the Bundestag from all democratic parliamentary groups
• presentations on the pioneers of energy sharing from Germany, Austria and Italy
• a climate cooking course
• a cultural programme with music and readings
• a debate on how the Bündnis Bürgerenergie wants to make 2021 the year of citizen energy
• a countdown to the implementation deadline of the EU Renewable Energy Directive
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 784960”.
   
   
flag of Europe
   
This newsletter reflects only the authors’ views. The European Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
   
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   
Let’s stay in touch
 
Our next newsletter will be issued in summer 2021. In the meantime please visit our web­site for the latest news and more background information. We would also be happy to find you as our follower on Twitter in order to stay in the loop. If you wish to share your thoughts or start collaborating – for example as a follower city – please feel free to contact us anytime.
   
   
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