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SONNET’s overall aim was to generate novel understandings of the diversity, processes and contributions of social innovation in the energy sector, and critically evaluate and assess their success and future potential towards supporting sustainable transitions of energy systems. After having employed various methods to study social innovation in energy over the past three years, this working paper aims to synthesise selected insights from across the different work streams. This working paper aims to bring together our insights on two aspects: 1) the factors influencing (enabling or impeding) the development of social innovation in energy, and 2) the contributions that social innovations make to energy systems.

This working paper outlines the conceptual advancements developed as part of the SONNET project. Firstly, SONNET has developed a typology of social innovation in energy (SIE) and this paper reflects on the usefulness and relevance of this typology. Secondly, drawing on three bodies of scholarship – sustainability transitions, social innovation and social science in energy – SONNET has developed a sensitising framework in its first year and since then has brought forth six conceptual advancements.

Social innovations can provide answers to how energy systems can be changed. However, to have a transformative impact, they also need to challenge, alter or replace existing dominant power relations and structures. Currently, many of these relations and structures in energy are problematic and unbalanced. A switch to renewable energies does not automatically denote a switch in power relations. If unchallenged, inequalities and ecological extraction will continue to persist in energy transitions. Therefore, the crucial question is: How can social innovations challenge, alter and replace existing power relations in energy? This guidebook is for people who want to build up their skills to change energy systems: it is for groups or individuals who want to gain insights and experience in how power can be seen, challenged, or increased in energy systems. The guide presents seven building blocks derived from power theory literature and SONNET empirical research analysis, which are considered crucial starting points for understanding power in social innovation and energy. It then introduces seven exercises, tested and developed during power labs, which readers can put to use in their own context. This deliverable synthesises the empirical outcomes of a research process which involved interview and document analyses, two interventions (Power Labs) with a total of ca. 100 participants, analysis workshops and co-creation between researchers and social innovators. It provides hands-on guidance for practitioners to strengthen their strategic insight into power dynamics in social innovation in energy.

SONNET aims to co-create a rich inter- and transdisciplinary understanding of the diversity,processes (including enabling and impeding factors) and contributions of SIE (social innovation in the energy sector). In WP3, we make use of a multiple, embedded case study approach, using diverse units of analysis to build a better understanding of SIE-fields and the SIE-initiatives within them. The main unit of analysis is the SIE-field, while the subunits of analysis are the SIE, different SIE-field-actors (who work on the SIE) and their SIE-initiatives, and other field-actors (who enable and impede the SIE). The analysis also considers the context of wider socio-political, socio-economic and sociocultural issues linked to these actors and the SIE-field. The case studies are presented as a series of six country reports: France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. Each country report presents three embedded case studies of SIE-fields within their national context. Overall, the country reports present 18 embedded case studies of SIE-fields, and 36 cases of SIE-initiatives nested within the SIE-field investigations and published in deliverable D3.2 This deliverable D3.3 has two overall aims. First, to dive into a comparative analysis of each SIE-field and their SIE-initiatives across three SONNET countries (for example, comparing framings against fossil fuel energy pathways in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Poland). This analysis draws on empirical phenomena surfacing in the different cases and specific concepts that help to further the understanding of SIE. Second, to derive key insights into specific aspects of the diversity, processes and contributions of SIE.

This report addresses the following research questions: How do Social Innovation in energy (SIE) and SIE-fieldsemerge, develop, and institutionalise over time? How do SIE-field-actors and other field-actors interact with the‘outside’ institutional environment and thereby co-shape the SIE-field over time? What are the enabling and impeding factors for SIE-field-actors and other field-actors to conduct institutional work and change the ‘outside’ institutional environment? In WP3, we make use of a multiple, embedded case study approach, building a better understanding of SIE-fields (e.g. ‘local electricity exchange’ and ‘cooperative organisational models for renewable energy’) using diverse units of analysis. The main unit of analysis is the SIE-field, whereas the subunits of analysis are made up of the SIE (e.g. multi-actor collectives implementing local electricity exchange), different SIE-field-actors (who work on) and their SIE-initiatives (e.g. Energy Local or Ripple Energy, UK) and other field-actors (who enable and impede SIE) (e.g. Ofgem’s sandbox trials, UK). They are embedded in their respective context, which relates to wider socio-political, social-economic and sociocultural issues linked to these actors and SIE-field. The case studies are presented as a series of six country reports: France, Germany, Netherlands/Belgium, Poland, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. Each country report contains documentation of three embedded case studies of SIE-fields set in their national context, giving a full set of 18 embedded case studies across all six SONNET countries. In these embedded case studies, 36 cases of SIE-initiatives are nested within the SIE-field investigations.

SONNET (Social Innovation in Energy Transitions) aims to co-create a rich understanding of the diversity, processes, contributions, successes and future potentials of social innovation in the energy sector (SIE). This deliverable addresses SONNET’s objective 2, namely, to identify and analyse socio-political enabling and impeding factors for SIE processes, as well as SONNET's objective 5 – the design of socio-political strategies for encouraging SIE. It provides the conceptual framework and the methodological approach for policy networks as well as the qualitative and quantitative analysis of policy networks in six SONNET cities. In SONNET's task T2.2 we aim to identify for each of our six SONNET cities the policy network in which SIE-initiatives are embedded. A policy network analysis is conducted with a particular focus on the relations between key actors at the local, regional, national and EU level (e.g. policymakers, city administrations, energy utilities, businesses and network organisations), and to identify enabling and impeding structures for SIE-initiatives.