Energy transitions are key to achieving net zero emissions, and keeping the planet within its safe operating space. Social dynamics like cooperation or resistance impact the pace of the energy transition. Accordingly, Social dYnamics in eNErgy systems: Resilience, Governance and policY (SYNERGY) identifies, explains, and explores how social dynamics influence behaviors of particular end users: citizens and SMEs. End users are embedded in complex energy systems involving diverse actors, technologies, institutions, and ecologies that are deeply interwoven and resistant to change. Existing research on these dynamics offers an incomplete understanding because it is fragmented (e.g., focusing on single populations or places) and often relies on single disciplines or methods. This greatly limits its usefulness for policy and practice. SYNERGY’s inter- and trans-disciplinary approach combines a range of diverse methods (e.g., simulations, agent-based modeling, participatory action research) to study social dynamics with high change-making potential in three ways: with households, energy hubs, and energy communities. The resulting insights from these fields of practice generate knowledge about which social dynamics shape the energy transitions in the different contexts, and how, what are the causes of these dynamics and how the dynamics themselves can be shaped through policy interventions. Working directly with a Community of Practice, involving key stakeholders—such as local governments, ministries, and grid operators—, we co-create and validate knowledge products, processes, and tools. In this way, the knowledge we generate can impact practice, helping desired behavior change spread rapidly, closing the loop between research, theory, and real-world applications.
