A Europe-wide inventory of citizen-led energy action with data from 29 countries and over 10000 initiatives

Abstract

Numerous case studies show that citizens engage in various ways in renewable and low carbon energy projects, thereby contributing to the sustainable energy transition. To date, however, a systematic and cross-country database on citizen-led initiatives and projects is lacking. By performing a major compilation and reviewing copious data sources from websites to official registries, we provide a Europe-wide inventory with over 10,000 initiatives and 16,000 production units in 29 countries, focusing on the past 20 years. Our data allow cross-country statistical analysis, supporting the elicitation of empirical insights capable of extending beyond the perspective of single case studies. Our data also align with ongoing efforts to implement two EU Directives that aim at strengthening the active role of citizens in the energy transition. While the focus of our data collection is on Europe, the data and methodology can contribute to the global analysis of citizen-led energy action.

Fig. 1

Overview on the EU-wide inventory of citizens collectively engaging in the energy transition.

Fig. 2

Schema of the inventory on citizen-led energy initiatives in 329 European countries. The figure gives examples about the type of information gathered. For the taxonomy and definitions of terms refer to the Supplementary Material.