A Typology of Community-Based Energy Citizenship: An Analysis of the Ownership Structure and Institutional Logics of 164 Energy Communities in France

Abstract

Energy scholars have associated energy communities with the notions of energy citizenship and energy democracy, as citizen-based democratic governance plays critical roles in their organizational models. However, these roles have recently been challenged by the growing involvement of diverse actors, including businesses and state authorities, in the governance of energy communities. Limited evidence exists of how this evolution has impacted the form and degree of citizen engagement in these organizations. This paper addresses this gap through an analysis of 164 French energy communities. We identify the following four energy citizenship configurations: full citizen ownership, shared citizen ownership, citizen crowdfunding, and civic participation. Then, we analyze their ownership structure and institutional logics. Our results indicate that models characterized by strong citizen engagement in ownership and a strong community logic dominate the French energy community landscape. Furthermore, the community logic is still prominent, even in models where citizens are less central. This suggests that the increasing involvement of other actors in energy communities has not fundamentally threatened such an organizational form as a vehicle for energy citizenship in the French context. Lastly, the paper identifies policies to encourage a variety of energy citizenship models and generalize meaningful citizen engagement.

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