Getting to zero emissions by 2050
May 5, 2020
May 5, 2020
The message is loud and clear—we need to combat climate change now. The European Union has set out ambitious targets to reach climate-neutral society by 2050. At the same time, policymakers are embedding consumer-centricity into policy measures and positioning consumers at the heart of the energy transition, giving them more choice, better information and protection. Consumers also want to do their part and to contribute to the energy transition, but many still face obstacles on their journey.
With this in mind, Eurelectric and Accenture set out to understand what could be done to partner with customers on this quest for a sustainable, inclusive and smart energy future. That was the question we aimed to answer through a series of design thinking workshops I held throughout 2019. The goal was to understand the perspectives of various stakeholders across the energy ecosystem to identify the barriers and opportunities for engaging consumers in the drive toward a zero-emissions society.
We conducted eight workshops across Europe with more than 120 people, including diverse representatives from NGOs and consumer associations, electricity, automotive and technology companies, academia, as well as policymakers and regulators.
Workshop participants examined the barriers, opportunities and solutions for consumer involvement in three key areas:
We used interactive and creative design thinking methodologies to foster innovative thinking and cross-pollination of ideas. This enabled lively, informal exchange of ideas among multi-disciplinary experts which led to a constructive dialogue to uncover fresh, practical solutions for consumer empowerment at a local level.
Each session started with an initial design challenge: “How might we support residential consumer participation in the energy transition, in line with the EU targets in energy efficiency, demand response for renewables integration and electric mobility (eMobility)?”
The first part of the workshop asked participants to empathize with the consumer and think about the most important barriers and opportunities for adopting zero-emissions solutions. From there, we reframed the problem definition to focus on the priority barriers and opportunities and then targeted it further toward a specific persona; for instance, commuters with respect to eMobility.
Then we turned the tables. This time participants were asked to imagine themselves as the CEO of an energy service company and identify solutions they would implement to eliminate barriers or elevate opportunities for consumer adoption of zero-emissions solutions.
And it was this dynamic of fostering a collaborative, creative environment that made the process so valuable. The opportunity to tap into a strong set of collective expertise across the European energy ecosystem allowed us to identify common themes and recognize differences between countries.
We uncovered four key barriers across all workshops and themes that hamper consumer engagement in the energy transition:
But we also uncovered key enablers and opportunities for consumer engagement:
And we ideated a series of innovative ideas. Here are three of my favorites:
There many more ideas captured throughout the workshops. I invite you to read the full report on Eurelectric’s website, “Seeking shared success: Empowering consumers in the energy transition.” The outcomes of this unique consultation process, as summarized in the Seeking Shared Success report, also informed Eurelectric’s study, “Driving change: 15 pledges to customers,” signed by more than 90 energy providers representing more than 200 million citizens in Europe.
We continue to closely follow up on this study with Eurelectric and hope to see a great uptake of the energy transition triggered by all our joint actions. Consumers are at the heart of the energy transition and only if they start to move, it is going to happen with trust, simplicity, transparency and affordability as key experience drivers for adoption of zero-emissions energy solutions. Together we can make the step change needed to move toward a zero-emissions society.
Feel free to share your thoughts. Let’s keep the conversation going as we strive toward the goal of a zero-emissions society by 2050.