Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to at least two of the following expected outcomes:

• Facilitate the wider uptake of renewable energy systems (RES) in the energy, industrial and residential sectors leading to an increased share of renewable energy in the final energy consumption by 2030 and beyond.
• Contribute to provide open source validated tools and methodologies for policy makers and stakeholders for developing more informed RES policy and for analysing the market dynamics when including all renewable energies.
• Contribute to the development of markets and respective financial frameworks that can operate in an efficiently and incentive-compatible manner while accommodating massive shares of renewables.
• Improve social acceptability of renewable energy facilities and installations.

Scope:

The proposal is expected to develop solutions addressing at least 2 of the expected outcomes either for the entire renewable energy market or focusing on a specific energy sector, such as electricity, heating, cooling or renewable fuels. Proposals can also address issues within a specific geographical region such as urban and peri-urban areas. Issues related to acceptability of RES technologies due to ecologic, economic and social aspects are expected to be addressed. Self-consumption issues can be addressed too. International aspects, such as collaboration with third countries and promoting solution in new markets, can be addressed as well.

The proposed solution can be developed to address a local challenge but needs to have wide potential for reapplication. The solution is expected to have a long-term viability and not be limited to an ad-hoc fix. The methodologies applied may be inspired by successful approaches already tested in other fields or contexts.

For all actions, the consortia have to involve relevant stakeholders (e.g. businesses, public authorities, civil society organisations) and market actors who are committed to adopting/implementing the results. The complexity of these challenges and of the related market uptake barriers may call for multi-disciplinary approaches, which requires contributions from the social sciences and humanities. Where relevant, local, regional specificities, socio-economic, gender-related, spatial and environmental aspects will be considered from a life-cycle perspective.

Proposals are encouraged to address social acceptability through the assessment of the environmental economic and social impacts associated with the development of these renewable energies and through the adequate involvement of stakeholders in decision-making processes.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects for understanding and addressing societal barriers to the uptake of renewable energy systems.

Where relevant, proposals are expected to also assess the legal, institutional, and political frameworks at local, national and European level and examine how, why and under what conditions these could act as a barrier or an enabler.