Participation in energy communities: the COM-B model as a framework for exploring motivations through living labs

Forming energy communities and the governance structures needed to facilitate their development is proving more difficult than previously foreseen. This is evidenced by the rather uneven development of sustainable energy communities in Europe and beyond. Living labs offer a useful pathway for co-creating the dynamic renewable energy ecosystems needed to foster user-driven innovation, particularly with regards to integrating digital technology into the engagement practices of citizens in new energy communities. This paper uses the COM-B Model of behaviour to explore the potential of living labs in facilitating more active participation and co-creation among stakeholders, particularly in terms of integrating demand response strategies that foster collaborative end-user engagement. Indeed, it is this interplay between information and communication technology (ICT) and innovation which emerges from living labs that can empower participants to co-design solutions that are more responsive to real-world needs. Also, it should lead to fostering more sustainable changes in behaviour and improve the efficacy of the technical solutions available to us. This paper presents recent findings from multinational European research utilising the living lab model and the collaborative environment it provided for citizens to vision the types of participation they prioritise in bridging the gap between technological potential and user-centric innovation. Such collaborative, co-learning opportunities offer a means towards ensuring current ICT advancements align with the practical demands of the low-carbon societies we wish to create.