UNIC Best Paper Award

“Sustaining energetic communities: energy citizenship and participation in an age of upheaval and transition”
Breffní Lennon and Niall Dunphy
(University College Cork)

The human use of energy is at the heart of our current global upheavals, from climate and biodiversity to geopolitcs and conflict. Building on UNIC’s Thematic Line ”Sustainability and Green Cities”, Breffní and Niall’s compelling work underscores how the correlation between the (meta)physical flows taken by the various forms of energy we depend on—and the transitory social, cultural, economic, and political relationships that frame them—require much deeper study if we are to achieve the types of sustainable communities envisaged by the United Nations as part of its sustainable development goals (SDGs) for 2030.

Through a review of current literature, they present recent research into the forming of citizen energy communities in Europe and the governance structures designed to facilitate their development. It asks: ”what are the key drivers and barriers to citizen engagement with emergent, novel energetic communities?”