Steps for Public Engagement with Energy Transitions in an era of Climate Crisis
- Title
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Steps for Public Engagement with Energy Transitions in an era of Climate Crisis
- Start Year
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November 2020
- End Year
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April 2025
- Funding Body
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EirGrid plc
- Principal Investigator
- Team
Introduction
The project will entail an impartial analysis of EirGrid’s evolving public engagement processes, based on a mapping of actors, and a framework to codify different elements of existing strategies. This approach will simultaneously offer guidance and suggestions throughout the consultation and engagement process lifecycle, seeking to improve both engagement processes and outcomes. This includes the completion of comparative case study in Ireland and France drawing insights from the Celtic Interconnector Project and an exploration of the community benefit funding programme, which presents promising opportunities for communities to build and enhance their lead role as change agents at local level. Community benefit funding offers the potential to work alongside a community in receipt of the funding to investigate the process using an engaged research approach. This can be done collaboratively with a view to fully understanding and realising the opportunity and enabling the community to develop initiatives within the three-strand approach to community benefit, focussing on sustainability. Complementing this analysis, the project will also investigate innovative deliberative democracy instruments and processes with specific attention to aspects involved in promoting well-informed, equal and inclusive interactions that enhance energy citizenship.
Outputs
The research outputs of STEPS are diverse and include peer-reviewed publications in international multidisciplinary journals, which provide in-depth insights into the research. Additionally, there is a Research Brief series that summarizes the research findings, along with blog posts and news articles that present aspects of STEPS research to a broader audience.
Research Briefs
| EirGrid Reflections on Public Engagement: Practice and Strategy
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This research brief summarizes findings from the STEPS project in two papers exploring public engagement through reflective practice. The first paper gathers insights from practitioners and reviews international literature, while the second examines the development of EirGrid’s public engagement strategy, highlighting challenges and opportunities in infrastructure development.
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| Recommendations for policy and practice on community engagement concerning energy and climate related infrastructure
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This research brief presents guidelines and policy recommendations resulting from a collaborative research intervention between MaREI and various public bodies in Ireland. It explores community engagement regarding energy and climate-related infrastructure.
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Journal Article
| Levers and obstacles for implementing public engagement practices in electricity grid development.
Heliyon.10(15). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34955
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The societal dimensions of the energy transition are increasingly recognised as centrally important and approaches to infrastructure development which seek to incorporate such considerations are warranted. EirGrid – Ireland’s national electricity transmission operator – through their own historical context, have undergone a journey to develop new strategies for citizen and community engagement with relation to energy grid developments. Here, we reflect upon this journey, situating it within their previous failures and the national context.
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| Flexibility & structure: Community engagement on climate action & large infrastructure delivery.
Energy Policy.167:113050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113050
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This study examines the function of community and citizen involvement in climate mitigation initiatives, with a focus on climate infrastructure development in Ireland. We develop a range of good practice guidelines for community engagement that seek to connect, build and improve current mitigation measures and on from this suggest policy measures for their implementation. The paper sets the foundations for developing a co-production framework for climate related infrastructure developments between citizens, communities and public bodies.
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| Public participation in the development of electricity grid infrastructure: Early engagements and community forums.
Energy Research & Social Science.120:103878. |
The central research question within this paper is as follows: How and to what extent do participatory practices open spaces of influence for community actors to partake in decision-making regarding electricity grid developments? We investigate a grid development project to highlight the central importance of early engagement with citizens and communities in the delivery of infrastructure projects and provide an outline of the innovative creation of the community forum as a conduit to wider community participation.
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News Pieces
| Why the Celtic interconnector is about more than just electricity
RTE Brainstorm, Friday, 16 Aug 2024 16:11 [Available Online] |
This RTÉ Brainstorm article addresses the debates surrounding the Celtic Interconnector, Ireland’s first direct electricity link to continental Europe via a 500 km underwater cable connecting Cork and Brittany. The article shines a light on how the social sciences and humanities play a crucial role in understanding the cultural and historical ties that make this technological partnership possible.
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Blog Post
| What is the right kind of change? | Highlights from a workshop on action-oriented research for energy transitions
On the 16th of June 2022, the DIT platform at Erasmus University Rotterdam and University College Cork co-hosted a workshop to encourage new opportunities to share work and ideas to further action-oriented research for energy transitions and climate neutrality. In this blog, we summarize some key insights based on the discussion.
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Events
| Showcase
Tuesday, 17, December, 2024 |
The Energy Policy and Modelling Group had a wonderful morning at Engineers Ireland, showcasing energy modelling research and policy insights from University College Cork focusing on carbon budgets, policy pathways, emissions, energy security and engagement in infrastructure.
Great discussions with nearly 100 stakeholders and friends from policy, industry and NGO communities. A video of the event is available here . |
| Two open-space Workshops
Wednesday, 10 April, and Thursday, 16 May, 2024 Inviting Interdisciplinary Insights to explore interconnectors Bringing into focus the Celtic Interconnector
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Two workshops were held in Paris and Cork, inviting Interdisciplinary thinking to explore the Celtic Interconnector. The first event, hosted by the Irish Embassy in Paris, took place on 10 April 2024. The Second Event hosted by University College Cork in Cork City took place on 16 May 2024. The Celtic interconnector is expected to bring multiple benefits to Ireland and France, including facilitating progress toward a low-carbon electricity mix. Besides more direct benefits associated with this subsea electricity link connecting Cork to Brittany, there are further perspectives that can be explored by considering ideas around social and technological change.
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| IEA USERS-TCP Conference Session
Tuesday, 28 November, 2023 Public Engagement with Energy Infrastructure
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Members of the STEPS project represented Ireland for the Public Engagement for Energy Infrastructure Task and International Energy Agency Users-TCP Initiative. On 28 November, the Task presented part of its work at the BEHAVE Conference in Maastricht during the Session ‘Introducing a toolkit to apply behaviour insights to energy policy’. Participants learned about drivers and barriers of public engagement and provided insights into the role of different stakeholders during the project development.
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| Symposium
29, March, 2023
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A scientific conference brought together the four Breton universities – the University of Rennes, the University of Western Brittany, the University of Southern Brittany and the University of Rennes 2 – and those of the Irish Atlantic coast – University College Cork, University of Galway and University of Limerick.
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| UNIC City Lab
Tuesday, 22 November 2022 14:00 (GMT) The Socio-Economic Opportunities from European Renewables
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This CityLab explored different approaches to the socio-economic opportunities related to European renewables and outlined ways to develop more equitable strategies, aligning with a just transition approach. Many renewable energy incentive schemes open to citizens take an individualist approach and conflict with the principles of a just transition as they can result in the energy-poor cross-subsidising the energy wealthy, who then have the capacity and resources to actively and directly engage in the energy transition (e.g., solar PV grants, feed-in tariffs). |
| Co-hosted Workshop
16th of June 2022, 14:00 (GMT) |
The Design Impact Transition platform at Erasmus University Rotterdam and STEPS from University College Cork co-hosted a workshop to encourage new opportunities to share work and ideas to further action-oriented research for energy transitions and climate neutrality. Bringing together multidisciplinary expertise around this complex challenge. |
| World Café
Thursday, 5 May, 2022 Establishing a statement of principles for community engagement with civil engineering
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The Institution of Civil Engineers have established a “Knowledge Network” on community engagement for infrastructure development.
A World Café event was held in July 2022 where STEPS research with EirGrid was discussed. Work with the institution of civil engineers has led to the publication of a paper: ‘Establishing a statement of principles for community engagement with civil engineering’ Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Civil Engineering. 05/2022.
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STEPS Kick off Wednesday, 2 March, 2022 PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH ENERGY TRANSITIONS- Aligning Research and Practice
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The workshop aimed to obtain a shared vision of project outputs and identify good practice principles. Key objectives included prioritising areas of impact, such as tracking institutional change, evaluating the community scheme, and understanding evolving engagement practices.  |
Work Packages
| WP1: Project Management | |
| Timeline | Month 1 to Month 36 |
| Description | WP1 aims to ensure the achievement of the project’s objectives through the timely and effective delivery of tasks, deliverables and milestones. Targeted technical and administrative co-ordination together with efficient organisational and financial management will ensure this is achieved according to the contractual arrangements. Activities will include:
● Administration and management e.g., financial control, ethical approval, risk management, transdisciplinary advisory group review; |
| Deliverables | *D1.1: Project Management Manual and Closure Processes *D1.2: Research Ethics Approval (M3); D1.3*: Quarterly Deliverable Updates *D1.4: Annual Review updates *D1.5: Quality Assurance Report |
| WP2: Transition Based Assessment of Actors, Roles, and Agency in Energy Grid System Change | |
| Timeline | Month 1 to Month 22 |
| Description | WP2 is linked to Tasks 1 and 4 (as per the proposal). It offers a critical, and integrated review of previous international work on engagement practices with the energy grid. Reseach work involves a transition based assessment of different actors, roles and agency in energy system change, this will comprise:
● A synthesis review of international literature on engagement practices in electricity grid system change; |
| Deliverables | *D2.1: Map of public roles in energy system change D2.2: Synthesis of engagement in electricity grid system change D2.3: Discussion Paper on EirGrid’s Multi-stage and Deliberative Engagements Process. D.2.4: Journal Review Paper on Engagement practices with Electricity Grid change |
| WP3: Comparative Analysis of Community Benefit Fund | |
| Timeline | Month 6 to Month 36 |
| Description | ● Scoping review of community benefit literature; ● Mapping existing initiatives and stakeholders; ● In-depth case-study research in three different locations; ● Comparative analysis of findings. |
| Deliverables | *D3.1: Critical Summary of Community Benefit Literature. *D3.2: Evaluation Framework. D3.3: Comparative Case Study Report. D.3.4 Journal paper with comparative analysis of findings |
| WP4: International Case-Study evaluation of community engagement in grid development | |
| Timeline | Month 8 to Month 34 |
| Description | WP4 is linked to Tasks 3 and 5. It provides good practice insights drawing from international literature as well as an investigation of engagement practices in Ireland and another EU member State. The International comparative dimension of this work builds on a strategy of engagement and partnership with various stakeholders, this will comprise:
● Development of multi-stakeholder engagement plan; |
| Deliverables | *D4.1: International Multi-stakeholder Engagement Plan D4.2 Workshop with Stakeholders D4.3 Key learnings and policy recommendations report D4.4: International Case Study Evaluation Journal Paper |
| WP5: Dissemination & Exploitation | |
| Timeline | Month 2 to Month 36 |
| Description | WP5 includes four main areas of work: developing and implementing a Dissemination and Communications Strategy to promote awareness of the project; maximising the dissemination and impact of each key deliverable; carrying out a series of tailored dissemination activities targeting specific groups of stakeholders; and enabling the continued exploitation of the results after the project’s conclusion. Activities will include:
● Establish project identity and presentation guidelines, including brandings and templates for all deliverables; |
| Deliverables | *D5.1: Report on identified communication impact pathways D5.2: Four learning/policy briefs. Brief 1; Brief 2 |
* Internal Deliverable
Team Biographies
Prof. Brian Ó Gallachóir (MaREI Centre Director; Team Leader RA6 ‘Energy Policy & Modelling’)
Prof. Ó Gallachóir serves as the Centre Director of MaREI, Chair of Energy Engineering in UCC, and as Director of the B.E. (Energy) and M.Eng.Sc. in Sustainable Energy. His research focuses on energy modelling to inform energy and climate change mitigation policy. Brian is an elected Chair of the Executive Committee of IEA’s Technology Collaboration Programme on energy systems modelling (IEA-ETSAP). Brian has published extensively and has directly informed energy and climate action policy decisions. He is lead PI in Climate Lab, an initiative of UCC’s ERI, and is a member of the national Gas Innovation Group. Brian has a B.Sc. from TCD and a PhD from UCC.
Ms. Aoife Deane (MaREI Communications & Public Engagement Manager)
Aoife is an experienced science communication and engagement professional with 20 years’ experience in the sector. She graduated from UCC in 2001 with a BSc in Earth Sciences and completed a master’s in science communication in Queens University Belfast. Aoife has been working in UCC since 2008, and with MaREI since 2015 where she led the development and implementation of MaREI’s Public Engagement Strategic Plan 2019-2025. Aoife’s CPD training has included Climate Communications, Project Management, Creative Facilitation, Logic Modelling, Impact Assessment, and Community Based Social Marketing. Her research interests include Evaluating and Assessing the Impact of Engaged Research in Climate Action.
Dr. Evan Boyle
Evan is a postdoctoral researcher with the MaREI Center and the Department of Sociology and Criminology, University College Cork. His research focusses on community engagement and transdisciplinary approaches to sustainability. He has recently published work in International Political Anthropology, Energy Research & Social Science, and Local Environment. In addition, he has recently contributed a book chapter to Metaphor, Sustainability, Transformation (2021) published through Routledge. Throughout his PhD, he applied action research methods for the investigation of a multi-stakeholder approach to the socio-technical transition to a low-carbon society in a regional context, in collaboration with the Dingle Peninsula 2030 initiative. He has also been active in the Imagining 2050 project, and has been involved in lecturing/tutoring roles within the Department of Sociology and Criminology for the past five years, covering a range of topics including Social Theory, Sociology of Community, and Sociology of the Environment.
Dr. Alexandra Revez (Research Fellow)
Alexandra is a Research Fellow in MaREI. She is a practiced academic with expertise in Human Geography, Political Science & Sociology and Community Development. Her recent collaborative research work with the Imagining2050 project has focused on democratic innovations, co-creation, leveraging collective imaginations and engagement with communities on issues linked to climate action in Ireland. Alexandra is an external expert advisor with the Teaching Council, a member of the ‘Enabling Societal Transformations’ JPI Climate Action Group, and a member of the newly established ‘Gender and Energy’ IEA Task Force.
News
Celebrating the start of the STEPS project and research partnership with EirGrid, March 2022 |
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