For local energy transitions: to profoundly rethink the role of communities. Synthesis

With the different evolutions (struggle against climate change, tensions about oil prices, geopolitical tensions about energy issues, liberalisation of the energy sector, technological evolutions), new opportunities emerged to meet objectives of energy transition (a more efficient and strategically safer consumption, climate preservation). The authors first outline these opportunities for local communities as they possess ability networks and can exploit opportunities due to smart grid development. They outline that local communities are indispensable actors for a successful energy transition based on a new articulation between local planning, regional prospective and national consistency, on a new territorial equalization, on the acquisition of technical abilities by communities, and a renewal of dialogue processes. Some scenarios are also proposed