KomMA-P: Making Energy Transition Citizen-Friendly
A recent research project, KomMA-P, has been exploring ways to make the energy transition more citizen-friendly and accessible. The project, which ended with a symposium in Berlin on 30.06.2016, focused on participation options that aren't necessarily financially motivated. It also highlighted the role of municipal utilities and municipalities in driving this change.
The project recommended visualizing the energy transition in the local environment to engage citizens. It identified Schwäbisch Gmünd and Aalen, part of the Ostalbkreis district, as cities that successfully promoted citizen participation. These municipalities integrated innovative concepts combining social space development, research, municipal experience, and civil society engagement.
KomMA-P aimed to strengthen acceptance of the energy transition through participation. It sought to calculate socially acceptable transformation scenarios for a feasible, inclusive energy transition. The project suggested that municipal utilities and municipalities should develop new competencies, strategies, and services to fully utilize their potential in involving citizens in this process.
The final symposium in Berlin presented suggestions and answers for a citizen-friendly energy transition. Municipalities and municipal utilities are encouraged to play a pioneering role in involving citizens, as highlighted by the successful examples from Schwäbisch Gmünd and Aalen. By developing new competencies and services, they can help make the energy transition more accessible and acceptable to all.
