Energy Citizens of the Future: The Role of End-Users in Decarbonizing the Energy System

The field of energy transition is increasingly recognizing the pivotal role of end-users, or "energy citizens," in the decarbonization of energy systems. As the world grapples with the urgent need to mitigate climate change, the active participation of energy citizens in producing, storing, and selling renewable energy is becoming a focal point of research and policy. Current challenges include understanding how energy citizens can effectively contribute to reducing carbon footprints and identifying the barriers that prevent their full engagement. Recent studies suggest that energy citizens could potentially reduce their carbon footprints by up to 90%, contributing significantly to the global decarbonization targets. However, there remains a gap in understanding the best practices and instruments needed to enhance their involvement. While some progress has been made in developing technologies and regulatory frameworks to support energy citizenship, there is a pressing need for more comprehensive research to address the diverse challenges faced by different categories of end-users, including those experiencing fuel poverty.

This research topic aims to explore the historic and potential future roles of energy citizens in driving the clean energy transition. It seeks to identify and analyze the instruments and best practices that can effectively involve energy citizens in the climate agenda. The research will focus on innovative solutions such as financing models, digitalization, and regulatory frameworks that empower prosumers, as well as behavioral interventions and information campaigns designed to engage end-users.

To gather further insights into the role of energy citizens in the decarbonization process, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• technologies to facilitate energy citizenship
• regulatory challenges for prosumers
• behavioral interventions for optimizing energy use in different sectors
• information nudges on energy savings
• business models for energy citizenship
• stimulating investment in Renewable Energy Community Projects
• empowering energy citizenship among vulnerable categories
• living labs to accelerate energy system decarbonization.

Keywords: Energy transitioning, Energy Citizens, Renewable Energy Communities, Prosumers, Behavioural change, Energy demand

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.