Abstract
In 2021, the European Commission increased the target of greenhouse gas emission reduction to
at least 55% below 1990s levels by 2030. To reach the ambitious climate goals, citizens need to
play a much more active role in transforming the energy sector. The EU-funded AURORA project
aims to empower several thousand citizens across five locations in Denmark, England, Portugal,
Slovenia, and Spain to make more informed energy decisions. By crowdfunding local energy
communities and installing ca. 1 megawatt in photovoltaic (PV) power, citizens will become active
‘prosumers’, transforming the energy system at large and democratising its governance. Moreover,
they will monitor their individual energy behaviour in a mobile app, and receive automated
recommendations in return.
One of the objectives of the project is to create the first generation of Near-Zero Emissions Citizens.
To achieve this, we develop a Near-Zero Emissions Citizen Label, which citizens can use to
understand the emissions linked to their energy-related behaviour, including electricity,
heating/cooling and mobility. The aim of such a label is to raise awareness among citizens about
the carbon emissions related to their energy-related behaviour. Together with other strategies and
incentives that will be implemented in the mobile app, the label acts as a tool to encourage citizens
to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions. Since AURORA plans to engage
citizens in crowdfunding of the community-owned PV systems, the label will also take into
consideration of the electricity production from the crowdfunded PV, or other renewable sources
that the citizens already own.
at least 55% below 1990s levels by 2030. To reach the ambitious climate goals, citizens need to
play a much more active role in transforming the energy sector. The EU-funded AURORA project
aims to empower several thousand citizens across five locations in Denmark, England, Portugal,
Slovenia, and Spain to make more informed energy decisions. By crowdfunding local energy
communities and installing ca. 1 megawatt in photovoltaic (PV) power, citizens will become active
‘prosumers’, transforming the energy system at large and democratising its governance. Moreover,
they will monitor their individual energy behaviour in a mobile app, and receive automated
recommendations in return.
One of the objectives of the project is to create the first generation of Near-Zero Emissions Citizens.
To achieve this, we develop a Near-Zero Emissions Citizen Label, which citizens can use to
understand the emissions linked to their energy-related behaviour, including electricity,
heating/cooling and mobility. The aim of such a label is to raise awareness among citizens about
the carbon emissions related to their energy-related behaviour. Together with other strategies and
incentives that will be implemented in the mobile app, the label acts as a tool to encourage citizens
to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions. Since AURORA plans to engage
citizens in crowdfunding of the community-owned PV systems, the label will also take into
consideration of the electricity production from the crowdfunded PV, or other renewable sources
that the citizens already own.
| Original language | English |
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| Number of pages | 72 |
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| Publication status | Published - 2022 |