More Than a Tool for Communication: How Digital Participation Can Aid the Energy Transition
23.06.2026
The active involvement of citizens, stakeholders and municipalities is essential for the success of the energy transition. Digital participation platforms promise broader access to planning processes. However, a new study, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, calls for a fundamental shift in how digital participation is implemented, arguing that it should be conceived as a comprehensive infrastructure supporting the entire planning process, rather than simply a collection of communication tools.
“Increasingly, new options for digital participation are expected to improve transparency, help to communicate planning content, and support conflict management in local energy transitions. Currently, however, many instruments are not sufficiently embedded in the planning process, but rather function as add-ons, for example to facilitate public comment,” explains lead author and RIFS research group leader Jörg Radtke. To fully realise their potential, digital participation tools must be integrated into the process in such a way that they explain complex projects, involve communities in planning processes and create visible connections between public participation and concrete implementation.
The study, authored by Radtke and Nino S. Bohn (University of Siegen), combines a comprehensive assessment of the current state of research with the findings of the three-year research project “Participatory Energy Transition – Visualisation and Communication” (ENVIKO), which involved over 800 participants from municipalities, energy associations, civil society groups, companies and research institutions in development workshops for a participation platform.
The researchers identified five common problems:
- Recruitment doesn't reach certain groups
Many digital participation platforms consistently attract the same small group of engaged citizens, while failing to reach broader segments of the population. As a result, participation processes can create the impression of broad public involvement without reflecting the full range of public opinion.
- Participants distrust visualisations
Digital tools increasingly use maps, 3D models, virtual reality and simulations to help people understand proposed energy projects. However, the surveyed citizens questioned whether these visualisations accurately reflected reality, with some suspecting that key assumptions were being obscured.
- Feedback has limited impact on actual decisions
Many participation platforms make it easy for citizens to submit comments, suggestions or concerns. However, participants often have little insight into what happens after their feedback is submitted, or whether it influences planning decisions. If people feel their contributions disappear into a “black box”, participation can lead to frustration rather than increased trust and engagement.
- Platforms are not integrated into planning processes
Digital participation instruments are often introduced as stand-alone platforms, operated separately from planning and decision-making processes. This leaves citizens unaware of how online consultations connect to public meetings, official reviews, or final decisions.
- Insufficient organisational capacity
Successful participation platforms require ongoing maintenance, moderation, technical support, data updates, and processing of public contributions. However, many municipalities and organisations lack the staff, expertise, time, or financial resources to sustain these activities in the long term, causing promising digital participation initiatives to remain short-term pilot projects rather than permanent public resources.
Transparency fosters democratic legitimacy
“Citizens want more than just opportunities to offer feedback. They want clear information, transparency about planning and decision-making processes, and evidence that their contributions can influence outcomes,” explains Jörg Radtke, concluding that digital participation can make a valuable contribution to a democratically legitimised energy transition if organisers prioritise these aspects.
The ENVIKO platform is not simply another participation tool, but rather an operating system for citizen participation: the layer where information, dialogue and planning processes converge. Nino Bohn, who was responsible for developing the tool, adds: “We have succeeded in creating a prototype that offers precisely this participation infrastructure.” Following the end of the research project, the focus is now on further deployment in practice. Interested parties can access the participation platform via LandPlan OS GmbH, which was involved in the project.
Radtke, J., Bohn, N. S. (2026). Digital participation as participatory infrastructure in local energy transitions: A review-informed framework, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 116651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2025.116651.
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