European small-town Renewable Energy Communities: Participatory design of supporting tools as a vehicle to engage and understand local communities and their energy related concerns

<ns3:p>Renewable Energy Communities (REC) are an emerging initiative that aims to contribute to the energy transition towards a more decentralised system in Europe by encouraging local communities to come together and invest in and operate renewable energy assets together. Decision-making processes of these communities need to be supported by adequate tools, which also can be used in the formation of the community groups in the first place. In this paper a case-study of four European small-town communities in Berchidda (Italy), Ollersdorf (Austria), Ispaster (Spain), and Kökar (Finland) carried out in the context of the LocalRES project is presented, where a participatory design methodology has been applied to co-create community supporting tools. Feedback gathered during four citizen workshops is presented, showing that to optimally support RECs in their formation and operation three main topics need to be supported: (1) the technical realisation and potential upgrades of the energy system, i.e., visualising energy generation and consumption on an individual and a community level, (2) the financial and economic implications of investments, i.e., calculating costs and return on investment for the individual and for the community, as well as (3) the social dimension and communication between community members and other relevant stakeholders, i.e., helping with community building and community engagement. The participatory process presented in the case studies does not only serve to gather requirements for tool design, but it also is a useful vehicle to bring together all interested citizens and stakeholders to understand their needs and concerns. A summary of this detailed citizen feedback is also presented.</ns3:p>