How bottom-up and top-down governance of community energy initiatives affects citizens’ perceptions, acceptability, and willingness to join

Community energy initiatives (CEIs) can potentially foster a sustainable energy transition. Yet, few citizens participate in them. This paper examines how CEI governance influences their appeal. We propose that community members' and external parties' (municipality and/or enterprises) involvement in CEI governance affects their appeal through different pathways. Whereas external parties' involvement may boost the CEI's perceived collective efficacy to advance a sustainable transition, community members' involvement may enhance perceived identity leadership, reflecting the extent to which the initiative is fostering ‘us’ as a local community. Results of three experimental studies and surveys ( N total = 3135) conducted in four EU countries show that community members' involvement, but not external parties' involvement, in CEI governance promotes perceived efficacy and identity leadership of the CEI, and thereby its acceptability and people's willingness to join. This has important policy implications for increasing citizen participation in CEIs and the sustainable energy transition. Highlights • Community energy initiative (CEI) governance causally influences CEI appeal. • Community involvement in CEI governance increases participation. • Community involvement increases perceived CEI efficacy and identity leadership. • An environmental and communal psychological pathway underlie CEI participation. • Further external party involvement in CEI governance does not influence CEI appeal.