KWP-Boost - Citizen participation as the key to implementing municipal heat planning

Subject of the project:

Municipal heat planning is a vital means of achieving climate goals in the building sector. Since the Heat Planning Act (WPG) came into effect in 2024, municipalities across Germany have been required to develop strategies for providing a climate-neutral heat supply. However, there is still a significant discrepancy between the plans and their implementation, particularly in densely populated cities.

This is where KWP-Boost comes in. This project investigates how civic potential in urban areas can be harnessed to accelerate municipal heat planning and strengthen local acceptance of the heat transition. It focuses on how citizens can actively participate in shaping the heat supply in their neighbourhoods, for example through renewable energy communities or heating cooperatives, and the conditions that must be created to enable this.

KWP-Boost addresses three key research questions:

1. How can geodata on social milieus (SINUS milieus) be combined with energy data to target neighbourhoods more effectively for implementation planning?
2. What criteria and parameters are crucial for developing urban citizen energy projects in the heating sector that reflect the needs and conditions of the broader urban community?
3. What roles and processes are necessary to enable municipalities and the urban community to jointly implement heating transition projects?

The research team combines spatial analyses of socio-economic and demographic data with assessments of energy-related suitability. Using the city of Bremen as a case study, the entire urban area is analysed to identify neighbourhoods with a particularly high potential for civic engagement in heat supply. Two of these neighbourhoods are then studied in greater depth. There, the research team is testing practical ways to encourage neighbourhood participation in collaboration with local residents.

Project Objectives:

KWP-Boost pursues four overarching objectives:

• Objective 1: Definition and characterisation of social environments particularly suited to renewable energy communities (RE communities), based on empirical data.
• Objective 2: Development of a model for identifying neighbourhoods with high potential for the formation of RE communities, tested in Bremen, for example.
• Objective 3: Validating the results and testing a new consulting approach with a target group-specific communication strategy that can be transferred to other cities.
• Objective 4: Development of a practical guide for advising on and initiating RE communities in the context of the heating transition.

The project aims to produce a proven, transferable process model to support municipalities and citizens across Germany in identifying, setting up and running renewable energy communities in urban areas.

Project structure:

The project is divided into three closely interlinked work packages:

WP1: Potential analysis
The Bremen University of Applied Sciences will analyse city-wide geodata, SINUS Milieu data and energy-related metrics for the entire Bremen metropolitan area, in order to identify neighbourhoods with high civic potential. In parallel, Adelphi Research is conducting a nationwide survey of municipalities to systematically map the potential and barriers to renewable energy communities in German cities.

WP2: Activation potential in the neighbourhood
Based on the analysis, two neighbourhoods in Bremen will be selected and supported in depth. energiekonsens and the ECOLOG Institute will collaborate with local residents to pilot participation formats tailored to specific target groups, ranging from future workshops to facilitating discussion processes within the municipal administration.

WP3: Translation into a Process Model
The results from WPs 1 and 2 will culminate in a practical process model that can be transferred to other cities.
adelphi research will synthesise the findings and make them available as open-access publications and practical guides for municipalities and citizens.

The role of adelphi research:

In the KWP-Boost project, adelphi research is responsible for coordinating the consortium and providing scientific project management. Together with Energiekonsens, the municipal partner, the institute bears overall responsibility for the project’s success. In terms of content, Adelphi Research is specifically responsible for conducting a nationwide analysis of the potential for renewable energy communities in German cities. Building on the results of all partners, Adelphi Research will also synthesise and develop a practical, transferable process model. Throughout the project, an advisory group comprising municipal representatives, engaged citizens and technical experts will monitor and validate the development of the model.

The project will conclude with the transfer of results into practice: Adelphi Research will develop recommendations for action, publish key findings as open-access publications and compile an accessible toolkit consisting of fact sheets, checklists and brochures.