This update is shared in SEG’s autumn 2020 newsletter. Join our new mailing list to get the latest updates about our research and events on transitions to sustainable, low-carbon energy systems.

SONNET brings diverse groups together to make sense of how social innovation can bring about a more sustainable energy system in Europe. SONNET is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme.

Six cities and six research institutions in Europe are using techniques – like ‘City Labs’, case studies, citizen surveys and more – to figure out how we can help make sure that social innovations accelerate the transition from the use of fossil fuels to a more sustainable energy system.

Find out what’s been happening in SONNET lately…

Event. Bristol hosts its City Lab launch event on re-energising community buildings. SONNET’s Bristol City-Lab kicked-off in the summer. Speakers included Richard Lowe of the BCC Energy Service and Caroline Bird of the Bristol Energy Network, which is also part of the lab. Find out how the City of Bristol and SPRU are testing innovative financing models to implement vital energy efficiency upgrades in community buildings.

Event. Fighting for Local Power: how a UK Bill seeks to support local energy producers. Watch this SONNET webinar on campaigning for local renewable energy, exploring the example of the Local Electricity Bill in the UK.

Publication. SONNET Energy Read #1: About the social dimension of energy transitions. SONNET aims to understand and show the diversity of social innovation in energy transitions, going ‘beyond only energy cooperatives’. In this Energy Read this diversity is portrayed in a typology and illustrated with examples, putting an emphasis on the six cities that are partners in the  SONNET project. Ultimately, we see that energy transitions have inseparable social and technological dimensions to them.

Event. On Friday 2 October SONNET took part the solutions session “Social Innovation in Energy Transitions” at the 9th European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns: Mannheim2020. Notes from the event will be shared on the SONNET website.

Event. SONNET at the 18^th European Week of Regions and Cities. SONNET is taking part in the Social Innovation for Energy Transitions – Participatory Lab at the European Week of Regions and Cities on 22 October 2020. The lab, co-organised by Energy Cities and ICLEI Europe, will offer a chance to discover new tools and processes for accelerating the energy transition, rooted in the experience of cities participating in three EU-funded projects (SONNET, TOMORROW and UrbanA). Please note registration is now full.

New publications

Beyond instrumentalism: Broadening the understanding of social innovation in socio-technical energy systems, Energy Research & Social Science.