Energy Transition and Gender (EPOS) Potentials for Strengthening Diversity in Citizen Energy

To ensure the success of the energy transition, it is not enough to simply “create acceptance” or “bring people on board”. As a societal challenge, the energy transition requires broad segments of the population to actively shape it. Citizen energy plays a crucial role in this, as it allows people to participate in the energy transition through citizen-led organizations such as energy cooperatives. It is rooted in civil society and pursues ambitious goals. However, the potential of this movement has not yet been fully realized. Currently, it is mainly older men from affluent, educated backgrounds who are involved.

The project addresses this issue and asks: How can more people —particularly FLINTA (women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans, and agender individuals) — be engaged in shaping the energy transition? The goal is to make participation more diverse, inclusive, and equitable. The insights gained from the project are intended to be transferable to promote participation and diversity in other societal transformation processes. The collaborative project combines innovative research with practical relevance. First, the status quo of FLINTA participation in the context of German citizen energy and the involvement of citizens will be systematically described. In addition, good practices will be identified and analyzed, and a typology for participation practices will be developed.

Case studies will explore the potential and obstacles for participation practices in various areas of citizen energy, such as energy cooperatives, tenant electricity, or plug-in solar devices. Based on these findings, various practical interventions will be developed, which will be implemented by the practice partners, and then evaluated by the research partners in terms of their impact on creating more diverse and equitable participation in the energy transition. The project will be accompanied by an extensive communication strategy. It will target various groups with different publications, including researchers, stakeholders in citizen energy such as energy cooperatives, political decision-makers at the municipal, state, and federal levels, women's networks, feminist and intersectional organizations, and educational actors. With this approach, the project contributes to further developing citizen energy and making the energy transition more just, inclusive, and sustainable.