Throughout the project, stakeholders from the pilot sites are learning from and thanks to each other. The Communities of Practice (CoPs) sessions are a dialogue space dedicated to addressing shared challenges and advancing the collective planning of integrated energy systems.
The first CoP session was held in September 2025 in Utrecht. This initial meeting aimed to assess the needs of the pilot sites and lay the groundwork for future sessions. Several key themes quickly emerged from the discussions. Among them was a central challenge: how to make energy communities more inclusive and reach a broader diversity of participants.
Inclusion and equity in community engagement
Building on this, the second Community of Practice session took place online on 19 March and focused specifically on inclusion and equity in community engagement.
Ensuring a fair and inclusive energy transition requires the active involvement of all community members. Greater diversity brings a wider range of knowledge, perspectives, and ideas, ultimately strengthening the outcomes of local energy initiatives.
However, participation in many energy communities is often dominated by already active and well-informed residents. Engaging a broader range of groups—such as tenants, homeowners, young people, migrants, and low-income households—remains a persistent challenge.
Inclusive governance, inclusive communication, inclusive tools
During the session, participants from municipalities, cooperatives and support organisations explored several key dimensions of inclusion, including:
- Why inclusion and intersectionality matter
- Inclusive governance, with a focus on understanding specific needs, identifying barriers to participation, and collaborating with intermediaries
- Inclusive communication, such as adapting language, imagery, tone, and formats to ensure accessibility. One key takeaway from this discussion is that communication is not about what you’ve said, it’s about what the other person heard.
- Tools and resources as a support for equity, including the use of multilingual tools, AI, ambassadors and neighbourhood events to enhance understanding and engagement
...and of course, an inclusive Community of Practice!
In order to do what they preach and to make the session inclusive, organisers from Energy Cities had chosen a time suitable for both civil servants and cooperative volunteers. The late afternoon session was organised and brought together participants from the seven pilot sites of the E2-CUTIES project, across four city clusters: Leuven (BE), Utrecht (NL), Strasbourg (FR), and Dublin (IE). After an inspirational presentation by Eduardo Blanco, project manager at Energy Cities, setting the scene, the workshop provided a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences in breakout rooms.
The conversation on inclusive practices will be continued at the next in-person Community of Practice session during the upcoming partners’ meeting in Copenhagen, from 14 to 16 April. This session will delve deeper into participatory planning and practical approaches to inclusion, drawing on real-life examples from Danish energy communities and addressing the shared challenges identified by E2-CUTIES partners.
To support you in progressing towards more inclusive energy communities, you can follow the free 'Inclusive and Equitable Energy Communities' training module, hosted on the Local Transitions Learning Centre, developed by Energy Cities.