Since 2021, energy communities have been legally possible in Austria. These offer citizens the opportunity to jointly produce, consume and sell renewable energy. Energy communities thus represent an alternative to the energy market, which is dominated by a few established companies. This research project investigates the role of this new organisational form in the energy transition.

As part of the study, 15 energy communities and intermediary organisations are studied by means of qualitative interviews and participant observations. The data collected is analyzed using discourse analysis. The project links existing research on alternative forms of organisation in the energy transition to the interpretive patterns of the people involved in energy communities. The aim is to develop a nuanced picture of the meanings of energy communities and to contribute to a deeper understanding of the expectations and potentials associated with this new form of organisation in the context of the energy transition.

Publications from the project can be found here.