Active consumers’ needs and social parameters. Deliverable D1.2

This deliverable reports on a study within the U2demo project, which investigates the values, capacities, and fair treatment of active energy consumers within the development of energy sharing platforms. The project aims to inform the design and implementation of inclusive, effective energy sharing arrangements that are centred around the values of citizens in energy communities. In doing so, the project ensures that this new technology will positively contribute to a democratic and equitable energy system where active consumers benefit from energy efficiency measures. Findings from this study will be used by technical developers within the U2demo project to develop IT architecture, sharing algorithms and platforms designs that correspond to the requirement of active consumers. The study is conducted in energy communities spread out across four pilot sites in Europe. These pilot sites vary in the types of citizens residing there, who have different experiences with energy technologies, cultural backgrounds and geographical contexts. Preceded by initial conversations with representatives of the pilot sites, the main research in this work engages with the members of the pilot sites through semi-structured interviews. This way, the study practices an iterative approach to performing design research where the multiple phases of the research inform each other. To accommodate research in four national contexts, teams of researchers that speak the local languages are assembled and research methods are aligned to produce coherent results. A total of 21 pilot members participated in the study. The study took place before the implementation of the energy sharing platforms in the pilot sites, meaning that the members of the communities had little to no prior experience with energy sharing technology. Follow-up studies later in the project will verify and expand upon the statements captured in the results of this deliverable.