The Role of Organised Civil Society in the Implementation of the Renewable Energy Transition and Renewable Energy Communities: A Qualitative Assessment

Abstract

The study aims to understand the relationship between organised civil society and the energy transition. It is carried out by using a mixed qualitative method combining a systematic literature review, identifying the role of organised civil society within the energy transition internationally, and 18 interviews focusing on the development of Renewable Energy Communities in Italy and the potential position held by organised civil society in these collective actions which are transforming the energy system. The results demonstrate that such actors can contribute to the transition process as well as to the establishment of a new virtuous ecosystem.