The European Union’s “Fit for 55” package puts in place a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Europe by 55 percent by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels). The plan includes measures related to transport and mobility, energy, emissions trading, and more. But how does social innovation fit it?

ICLEI Europe's flagship Breakfast at Sustainability's event series returns in January to bring together European and local policy makers, advocacy groups and researchers for a half-day dialogue (online) to discuss this topic. The dialogue – and a resulting set of recommendations – will explore opportunities and challenges related to more prominently considering social innovations in energy in the Fit-for-55 package.

What is 'social innovation' exactly? People around the world are trying out new practices that change social relations – or reviving practices from the past – in the hope that they accelerate paths to sustainability. Those new (or revived) practices are social innovations. Social innovations in energy include: energy cooperatives; new funding schemes for energy retrofits; crowdfunding for energy saving projects; local electricity exchange; participatory experimentation with new energy solutions, etc.

A community of European leaders will convene online to delve into the potential and role of such innovations to help the EU meet its emissions reductions targets. Speakers include representatives from the European Commission (DG Energy and DG Research and Innovation), the REScoop.eu network of energy cooperatives, Friends of the Earch Europe, and more.

The results of this policy dialogue will inform a report on how policy makers at the EU and other levels can better harness social innovation in energy. This event is being hosted in cooperation with the SONNET project, who will lead the charge in compiling this set of recommendations.

To join the dialogue and have your voice heard, register now at: bit.ly/SONNET_dialogue.

For more information on SONNET and on this process, click here.