THE SMARTEES PROJECT

The SMARTEES project was one of five European projects highlighted at the European Commission’s workshop “How to address consumer or citizen engagement in the energy transition and the SET-Plan implementation” on 20 November 2019. The workshop brought together EU-level policymakers and five Horizon 2020 projects focusing on the energy transition from the social science and humanities (SSH) perspective, namely SMARTEES, SHAPE ENERGY, Energy-SHIFTS, ECHOES, and ENERGISE.

The workshop was co-organized by the Directorate General (DG) of Energy and DG for Research and Innovation along with the European Energy Research Alliance. It was hosted at the central Berlaymont building for European Union affairs in the Walter Hallstein Room, where member state delegates commonly meet.

The workshop highlighted the importance of SSH insights in realising a low-carbon energy transition. Its crucial task was to show the value of SSH results in shaping new EU energy directives and to open up direct communication between SSH researchers and EU-level policymakers. The European Commission reaffirmed their commitment to mainstreaming SSH through the strategy of ensuring that complimentary SSH research is included in more technical research projects.

Social innovation was a central theme of the workshop, including the applications in the ENERGISE project for modifying daily household routines, and the ECHOES project findings regarding the energy choices that individuals make as a part of social collectives.

Take a look below at how SMARTEES’ own senior scientist Jed Cohen explains how social innovations can complement the technological change in the energy system and allow policymakers to solve practical issues in creative ways.

See Jed Cohen's presentation here.