Energy district Sydhavn –: co-creation of energy transitions with citizens in the contexts of city and national politics

The provision of heat and electricity are for many citizens, small shops and enterprises a concern when paying the bills but are at the same time not something that they easily understood and approached in technical terms. Neither is the current need for a transition toward a renewable based integrated and flexible energy system well understood though the icons of renewable energy such as wind turbines, solar cells and heat pumps often are well known and supported. The involvement of local heating managers and dwellers and the change of everyday practices is at the same time crucial to reach the goals for energy savings.
The project: Energy Forum Sydhavn has the purpose of making energy savings and transitions become real beyond the actual results from energy renovations of buildings. In projects involving utilities, building owners, operators, tenants, shops and companies including also technology providers we set targets and organize socio-technical change agendas and structure project that make these changes become real. In the project, we operate with concepts for how to involve actors and how to configure topics, goals and actor constellations.
This is reflected in the energy systems transition literature with the focus on local, engaged ownership as well as cities and regions as drivers of a new wave of change. At the same the organizational obstacles, the existing energy institutions routines and practices and a lot of visionary window dressing from the side of city and government authorities tend to reduce the real impact of the transition. This is often even hidden behind attempts to recruit citizens and politicians to trust in short term market based solutions and privatization. While the ideal type sustainable energy transition is well outlined in models of future renewable energy bases societies the transition processes include controversies and a continued need to change the visions and actor constellations that drive the transition.