It has become clear that society is facing several energy crises. On one hand, we need to move towards more sustainability. On the other, rising energy prices are putting pressure on people’s daily lives. The question is whether we can make a fair energy transition, where the benefits also reach households that normally cannot afford to invest in sustainability. The goal is to create a practical model that is not dependent on subsidies and focuses on local ownership and fair sharing.
At the start of 2022, energy justice was chosen as one of the main learning goals in the Smart Energy Exploration Strategy. This strategy was developed by the Expert Centre for Digital Innovation and Smart City together with the Energy Transition Department of the Municipality of The Hague. Many different stakeholders, both inside and outside the municipality, gave input.
The aim of this use case is to make the energy transition accessible to more residents, so that everyone can take part and benefit.
We are testing this through two experiments:
Sharing solar energy: The energy produced by existing solar panels in the Living Lab Scheveningen is used to lower part of the energy bills for local residents. This helps us explore how renewable energy can be shared fairly.
Co-ownership: We are developing a model for solar panels on homeowners’ association (VvE) rooftops, where residents become joint owners and directly benefit from the energy produced.
The main learning goal is energy justice: learning how to make the energy transition fair and inclusive. By working together with municipalities, energy cooperatives, and residents, we gain insight into social and practical issues and build more support for renewable energy.
Through the Startup in Residence programme, a challenge was opened for startups to propose new solutions. From seven entries, a multidisciplinary jury selected a winner. The winning startup received funding to develop and test their product together with the municipality.
Interested in more information about Energy Justice? Please contact Ricardo de Roos (ricardo.deroos@denhaag.nl) or send a general inquiry to the Living Lab Scheveningen via email at smartthehague@denhaag.nl.
