Research communities and members of collective action initiatives work together in the COMETS project for citizens’ participation in the low-carbon energy transition

The EU Horizon2020 programme funded the COMETS (Community Models for the Energy Transition through Social Innovation) project to investigate the evolution and contribution to energy transition efforts at the EU and national levels of collective action initiatives (CAI) in six countries. There are large knowledge gaps concerning how the low-carbon energy system transition may be governed in a smooth and participative way. Social innovation is a prime way to tap into that potential. The main expected impacts of the project are two-fold. Firstly, COMETS advances the scientific knowledge about the motives, desires, objectives and barriers of such CAI initiatives and their historical and future role in the energy transition. Building on the information gathered and tested concerning its robustness, COMETS co-develops and tests supportive tools together with CAI members, decision-makers and the scientific community. In each project partner country, a joint national team has been established. These stakeholders will then be able to exploit the main outputs of COMETS to mobilize people and guarantee the acceptance of and participation in the energy transition process.