Unbalanced Energy Communities: A Matter of Gender and Power

Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) are gaining prominence as a model for decentralized governance and deep decarbonization of energy systems. These community-owned structures present an opportunity to increase citizen participation in energy governance, attract private investment in renewables, and ensure a fair distribution of benefits (Hoicka et al., 2021), aiming at realizing a just energy transition. However, their potential is constrained by existing power structures of socio-technical energy systems that reinforce centralization and perpetuate injustices in terms of distribution, decision-making inclusion, and recognition of marginalized groups (Sovacool et al., 2017). Especially, women are strongly underrepresented in these organizations(Grossmann & Creamer, 2017), often perceived as inaccessible to them, particularly when other inequalities, such as income or ethnicity, intersect (Dudka 2024; Łapniewska, 2019). Despite this, gender issues remain understudied, risking the undermining of just and inclusive pathways to deep decarbonization. Women, disproportionately affected by energy poverty, also play a central role in household energy use, highlighting their crucial impact to foster energy transition (Tjørring, 2016). This exclusion is critical, as half of European citizens are expected to become prosumers in the near future, making gender inclusion essential. This study investigates power dynamics in RECs in three borders region between Italy and Austria: Trentino, South Tyrol and Tyrol, and aims to explore how power structures and narratives shape RECs, while also examining factors that may hinder women’s participation, such as presence of gender stereotypes, lower (perceived) energy literacy, among others. Addressing these inequalities is crucial for fostering just and inclusive pathways to deep decarbonization of socio-technical energy systems.