Aligning European Union ambitions of renewable energy communities with citizens actions using United Nations sustainable neighbourhood indexes

The United Nations Environment Programme design indexes for sustainable neighbourhoods, includes self-sufficiency, community plot ratio and civic generosity. The indexes are consistent with policies on European Union renewable energy communities, but their alignment has not been explored using indexes as guidelines for implementation. Furthermore, renewable energy community research is rarely explored with the actions of citizens who form them. Therefore, this research explores an emerging renewable energy community with a novel citizen centred perspective, using video interviews with fourteen citizens of a neighbourhood in Stockholm, Sweden to answer; ‘How can EU policy ambitions of renewable energy communities be aligned to citizens actions, using sustainable neighbourhood indexes: self-sufficiency, community plot ratio and civic generosity?’ We used thematic analysis to generate four main themes. The 1st theme finds that kitchens in homes represent shared spaces and can be used to enable more flexible energy community actions, such as time shifting. The 2nd theme finds that knowledge networks and neighbourhood needs can be used to engage more people in self-sufficient energy production actions together, with photovoltaics and batteries. The 3rd theme finds that without physical community plots, energy services disengage community management actions by creating artificial digital spaces, such as subscription services. The 4th theme finds that civic generosity genuinely excites citizen sharing actions of excess energy with other actors, for public services. Moreover, differences were found with how individuals interact in current energy systems and how communities might interact in future energy systems. • Kitchen are shared spaces that enable flexible energy actions such as time shifting. • Knowledge networks can engage more citizens in self-sufficient energy actions. • Without community plots, energy services may prevent community energy actions. • Civic generosity excites citizens to share electricity for public services.