Energy citizenship: Europe’s communities forging a low-carbon future

From solar panels to biomass burners, boom in green initiatives seen as vital to achieving EU climate targets

Europe's swift transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future will not happen without the engagement and involvement of citizens producing and consuming energy locally, experts say - and across the continent, there are signs it is happening.

A summer of wildfires, drought and record heatwaves fuelled by climate breakdown has combined with soaring gas and electricity prices, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to inject a new urgency into the switch to alternative, renewable sources.