EPOS - Energy Transition and Gender - Potentials of Strengthening Diversity in Citizen Energy
EPOS - Energy Transition and Gender - Potentials of Strengthening Diversity in Citizen Energy
- Funded by: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz
- Website: https: //energiewende-gender.de/
- Duration: July 2024 - December 2026
- Cooperation partners: BTU Chair "Management of Regional Energy Supply Structures", Bündnis Bürgerenergie e.V. (BBEn), Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW), Netzwerk Energiewende Jetzt e.V., Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF) e.V.
- Staff Member: Melanie Jaeger-Erben, Sam Schwickert, Astrid Preis
EPOS stands for Energiewende und Gender - Potentials of Strengthening Diversity in Citizen Energy. The project aims to explore diversity and gender in citizen energy.
What is it about?
Advancing community energy with diversity and participation! In community energy cooperatives, people work together to shape the energy transition in the hands of citizens in a social and future-oriented way. They make it possible to implement the energy transition in a decentralised and democratic way.
The problem is that not all of the potential for the energy transition has been fully utilised. Not everyone benefits from community energy or has the opportunity to contribute their strengths. This should change.
This is where the EPOS project comes in.
What should happen and who is EPOS for?
EPOS stands for Energiewendeund Gender - Potenzialeder Stärkungvon Diversität in der Bürger*innen-Energie. The aim of the project is to research diversity and gender in citizen energy. In addition, offers are being developed for various target groups to increase diversity and thus strengthen the energy transition in the hands of citizens.
EPOS is aimed at all people with an interest in community energy: for example, curious people who want to help shape the community energy transition, practitioners who want to make their community energy community more diverse and researchers in the field of gender and the energy transition.
Offers
Click here for the offers for individuals and initiatives interested in the citizen-led energy transition.
Project goals
Here you can find information on the project objectives and project design.
Our goals for the EPOS project
For a successful and accelerated energy transition, it will not be enough for business and politics to "create acceptance" and "get people on board". As a challenge for society as a whole, the broadest possible sections of the population must play an active role in shaping the energy transition. Citizens' Energy stands for this approach. It is anchored as a movement in civil society and is in favour of particularly ambitious energy transition goals. However, the social potential of citizen energy has only just begun to be realised. At present, it is mainly older cis-men from wealthier, more educated social milieus who are active in citizen energy communities. The project therefore aims to answer the following question:
To what extent and in what ways can significantly more citizens* be activated to help shape the energy transition in order to advance the energy transition and at the same time make participation in it more diverse, inclusive and equitable?
Women and FLINTA(women, lesbians and intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people) are severely underrepresented in citizen energy. The project is therefore focussing on them. However, the results should be transferable for further findings. They can be used to research how participation and diversity can be increased in transformation processes. An approach that only aims to bring more women and FLINTA into the field of citizen energy is not enough. EPOS is therefore also investigating whether and to what extent citizen energy and gender empowerment can solve the problems of a profit-orientated economy.