Energy transition and civic engagement

Abstract This chapter gives an overview of various forms of civic engagement in the context of the German energy transition. The first section introduces invented and invited spaces of civic participation with a focus on bottom-up citizens’ activities, their dynamics, and social structure. To this end, community energy initiatives such as energy cooperatives as well as protests against wind turbines and grid expansion are analyzed regarding fields of conflict, forms of representation, and collaboration and matters of (energy) justice. The normative roles attributed to citizens’ activities and polarization tendencies are critically discussed. In conclusion, two elementary forms of civic engagement relating to the Energiewende can be derived.