What is energy literacy? From prerequisite for participation to social practice

Energy literacy is often assumed to be a prerequisite for public participation in energy. But, it remains unclear how people's energy literacy leads to participation. This raises questions about dominant conceptualisations of energy literacy in relation to participation. We investigated energy literacy in relation to participation in energy communities, which are seen as important contexts for stimulating both. Following an abductive approach, we synthesized insights from diverse bodies of literature with empirical data from Greek energy communities, drawing on interviews and focus groups with 20 participants from energy community core teams and supporting organizations. We developed two perspectives on energy literacy, each assuming a different relation between energy literacy and participation, leading to different approaches for stimulating both. The first perspective sees energy literacy as a prerequisite for participation. It treats energy literacy as static ability that people have or lack, and operationalizes it through standardized, prescriptive, and isolated approaches. This view overlooks people's diverse needs. Therefore, we developed a broader view of energy literacy as social practice, that conceptualises energy literacy as something people do in their specific situation. Energy literacy and participation are intertwined, and operationalized through contextualized, dynamic, diverse and tailored approaches. Although the two perspectives depart from distinct conceptual assumptions, we found that approaches in practice can be placed on a continuum between them. By unpacking the conceptual assumptions, this study shows how different understandings of energy literacy shape approaches in practice, whose needs are addressed, and who are included in energy transitions.