Public engagement practice for electricity grid system change

This paper explores practitioner reflections on engaging the public in grid infrastructure development focusing on policy development and knowledge transfer for energy system change. We overlay literature review insights and practitioner reflections by drawing on two collaborative workshops held with public engagement officers from EirGrid, the transmission system operator (TSO) in Ireland. The research uses the concept of reflective practice as a tool to bridge the gap between academic research and practitioner insights. As such, the paper aims to enrich the understanding of engagement strategies and policy implementation for grid energy system change by drawing insights from practical, operational contexts and practitioner reflections on engagement. The results illustrate the difficulty of transposing research insights into practice-based policy implementation in the fast-evolving context of transmission energy system change. Four critical themes emerge in this context: the need to scale effective practices while considering socio-cultural differences, the growing relevance and use of digital tools to enhance public engagement, the imperatives of timely and iterative research, and the valuable contributions of shared reflections among practitioners to further inform policy. Addressing these issues will require reinforcing interdisciplinary research approaches, applying cross-case methodologies, and promoting practitioner peer knowledge development of public engagement within energy policy arenas.