Carla Sedini, Filippo Parolini, Francesco Zurlo
In an era marked by the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions, Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) are emerging as pivotal actors in reshaping the social and environmental fabric of Central Europe. The paper explores the development and application of a participatory design toolkit within the HERCULES CE project, a European initiative committed to accelerating the energy transition through the creation and support of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). Recognising the critical role of stakeholder engagement in the success of RECs, the authors investigate how the integration of strategic and systemic design approaches can support inclusive, collaborative, and locally grounded planning processes. The toolbox is particularly suitable and adaptable for different contexts, even the marginalised ones, where structural inequalities and limited resources often hinder participation in the energy transition. By presenting a prototype toolbox and its initial testing phase, the paper offers insights into the challenges and opportunities of designing for complex socio-technical systems in a transnational context. The work contributes to a broader discourse on how design methodologies can foster sustainability transitions, address systemic inequities, and promote collective empowerment at the community level.
Keywords: Sustainable transition, Renewable Energy Community, Engagement Strategy, Strategic and Systemic Design