Codema host 10 EU cities for peer to peer knowledge exchange
Representatives from 10 European cities were welcomed to Dublin to discuss citizen engagement and finance in the energy transition.
On February 6th and 7th, representatives from cities across Europe came to Dublin to share knowledge and experience on citizen engagement and citizen financial schemes in the energy transition. The event was organised by GNE Finance and hosted by Codema, Dublin’s Energy Agency.
The event saw representatives from Križevci, Ptolemaida, Pisa, Torres Novas, Prague, Zdár nad Sázavou, Košice, Lappeenranta, Munich, Waterford and Derry gather in Dublin.
Across the two days, attendees heard from engagement and finance experts on methods and approaches to including citizens in energy-related projects. Each of the visiting cities presented the energy and climate initiatives taking place in their regions and gave examples of engagement and financial schemes used to encourage citizen participation.
Learning from experts
On the first day, engagement expert Jonathan Reyes González from Democratic Society shared insights on building democratic infrastructures and networks for meaningful engagement, and how public authorities can act as connectors to bring citizens together. Attendees heard about best practice examples and methods for enabling participation and activating ecosystems for change.
On the second day, Valentina Cabal, EU Advisory Director at GNE Finance, presented on ways to structure and develop citizen financial schemes, providing examples such as sharing models, crowdfunding schemes, cooperatives, citizen energy communities, local green bonds, and more.
Community engagement in action
Visiting representatives also had the opportunity to see community engagement on climate and energy in action with a visit to Bohemian Football Club, Dublin’s oldest football club, which is 100% fan-owned and is in the process of establishing a climate cooperative to support their fans in the energy transition. Seán McCabe, Head of Climate Justice and Sustainability at Bohemian FC, gave a tour of Dalymount Park, Bohemians’ home stadium, and presented on the journey so far to establishing their climate cooperative.
The role of citizen engagement in the energy transition
Creating opportunities for citizens to participate in decision making processes on the energy transition is essential for increasing buy-in and ensuring all perspectives are heard and considered as we move towards a more sustainable future. Increasingly, financial mechanisms for engaging citizens are becoming more important, not only as a way to finance projects and move towards implementation of sustainable energy solutions, but also as an opportunity for citizens to directly benefit from those solutions.
This two day event highlighted the great projects happening across Europe to bring citizens along in the energy transition.