Guide to engage and manage stakeholders

Renewable energy source cooperatives, also called REScoops, rely on groups of citizens who join together and cooperate at a local level in the field of renewable energy. Relying on bottom-up and collective dynamics, REScoops face the challenge of engaging citizens and other stakeholders in their creation and development process.

This guide has been designed to facilitate the implementation and maintenance of mechanisms to involve citizens and multiple stakeholders in the development of REScoops. It does it by offering an “illustrated catalogue” of practical experiences and best practices.

The first section identifies the early steps and the questions to ask to get a REScoop off the ground. The second section consists of a catalogue of mechanisms, tools and actions; it is structured around five dimensions in which citizens could be engaged:

• Governance and organizational design
• Finance
• Production
• Consumption
• Involvement and empowerment

Each mechanism or tool identified is illustrated with practical experiences and best practices. These examples can be applied to all national contexts. Finally, the conclusion comes back on some principles that should guide the setting-up of mechanisms, tools and actions in order to foster citizen involvement.

The target audience of the guide are REScoop initiators, local communities and local authorities.