PROSEU – “Prosumers for the Energy Union: mainstreaming active participation of citizens in the energy transition”, is a 3-year EU-funded research project with eleven project partners from seven European countries. It was launched in March 2018 and aims to bring active energy users who both produce and consume energy from renewable sources (also called RES prosumers) to the heart of the Energy Union.
Prosumer initiatives all over Europe are challenging existing energy market structures and institutions. However, information about them is still scarce. For that reason, PROSEU’s research will investigate new business models, market regulations, infrastructural integration, technology scenarios and energy policies across Europe. The team will work directly with RES prosumer initiatives in so-called Living labs, but also with policymakers and other stakeholders from eight countries.
One of PROSEU’s first activities is a Europe-wide survey of RES Prosumer initiatives, launched in October 2018. PROSEU partners are interested in better understanding what motivates collective prosumer initiatives, such as energy cooperatives or communities, organisations that produce for self-consumption, public-private or other forms of partnerships for energy, how they are handling the current challenges of being RES prosumers. The survey results will hopefully feed into new policies for them and increase support of the prosumer phenomenon in Europe, contributing to a transition to clean, low carbon energy production.
For initiatives that are interested, as well as other stakeholders, PROSEU is also about to start a Prosumer Community of Interest. RES Prosumers will be able to exchange on-line and an interactive map on the project Website will be showing the diversity of initiatives out there. Throughout the project, partners will additionally organise workshops to exchange knowledge among RES prosumers and other renewable energy stakeholders in the same region, with similar energy sources or working structures.
For more information about the PROSEU Project, visit www.proseu.eu or contact info@proseu.eu
The Prosumer community of interest on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8699249/
Follow PROSEU on Twitter: @Proseu_Project