Rethinking Participation in Smart Energy System Planning

While the technical layout of smart energy systems is well advanced, the implementation of these systems is slowed down by the current decision-making practice regarding such energy infrastructures. We call for a reorganisation of the decision-making process on local energy planning and address the question ‘how can decision-making on the design and implementation of Smart Energy Systems be accelerated?’ Inspired by engineering design thinking and based on two workshop sessions, we identify five design phases and an implementation phase, and distinguish between a design component and a participation component. This allows for the effective participation of external stakeholders at four specific moments in the decision-making process. This way, efficiency and effectiveness in smart energy system planning can be increased, without compromising on participation. When applied to the Dutch context of energy planning, the developed decision-making model is useful for project participants as well as policy-makers in a wide variety of settings.