Community energy communications at the local level

Today, many people still don’t know what community energy is and the benefits it can offer in collectively addressing climate and social challenges. Spreading the word about community energy is thus an important aspect of leading the transition to energy democracy.

This short communication guide collects tips, tricks and best practices to kick off communication and engagement activities for the development of local community energy projects. It focuses on the aspects of communication that could be useful to someone wanting to start a community energy project: developing a communication strategy, reinforcing your narrative with hopeful storytelling, engaging your community, cooperating with different actors and developing communication campaigns.

The guide will help non-experts in communications to gain an initial understanding of the topic and will inspire them with numerous examples of cities and cooperatives that went before them and succeeded!
The community energy communications guide complements the publication ‘Community Energy – A practical guide to reclaiming power’, which is a comprehensive handbook with practical instructions to setting up a community renewable energy project.

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Given its value, this resource has been reviewed as part of the SHINE project and selected for inclusion in the SHINE Tool with the best communication tools for energy communities, alongside other relevant tools. You will find the accompanying review notes on this page, offering useful context to complement your reading.

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