Engagement in the energy sector is shifting. Against the backdrop of the energy transition, regulatory and customer expectations are changing. This presents challenges, as the issues the sector must address are complex and significantly affect the lives of everyday people.
The transition is a seriously big, knotty, multifaceted and sticky problem − one that is unique and memorable for everyone. Once we move past this phase (and that’s a while away), we will look back on this period of change with wonder and amazement! We will probably be thinking – how did we get into that situation, how did we get out of it, what did we learn?
There are more effective ways to engage your customers, build credibility, and achieve a higher return on investment, leading to fairer and more positive outcomes for everyone—outcomes that decision-makers can confidently stand behind.
Although generators, developers, distributors, and retailers in the energy system face different challenges, there are shared principles and themes that can help us work together to navigate change more effectively.
Nicole Hunter, MosaicLab Co-founder and Managing Director, says finding ways to genuinely engage isn’t hard or new, but the intricacy of this issue is.
“So much has changed in such a short timeframe, cost of living, renewables, EV charging and a grid that is rapidly changing means we have so many players and so much impact at all levels.
“This means community consultation needs to also transition – we need to find ways to bring all the parts of the system along together, we need to find ways that elected officials and the media can be part of that journey, and we need to be mindful that the consequences are felt deeply and broadly. So how do we truly get lived experience in the room to grapple with these issues?
“This is an ‘issue of our times’ and something definitely worth tackling!”
To help tackle this complexity, MosaicLab have created seven handy tips based on our insights. By applying these strategies to your engagement process, you can hopefully make more informed decisions and create enhanced outcomes for everyone involved.
7 big tips for navigating engagement in the energy transition
- Unpack what social license to operate really means
We need a consistent and agreed definition, with some clear standards to help everyone in all parts of the energy market to understand what we are talking about. Social license is a part of everything energy organisations do, but this concept of building relationships and building trust is another matter altogether. What do we really mean by this and what do we expect? Key factors to consider include the level of support or consensus, how representative the participation is, and the methods used to evaluate and demonstrate social license.
- Have conversations about accountability
Thinking about the energy transition and the projects that will impact people and may be opposed by some communities affected (e.g. transmission lines), we need to have conversations about how organisations, authorities and companies can be accountable. There’s a requirement to challenge your organisation − how do we be as transparent as possible? These conversations must happen early in a process to ensure there is a responsive and more credible approach undertaken from the beginning.
- Be open about certainty and uncertainty
By sharing what the likelihood is of a project proceeding you are helping manage expectations. Maybe map out the certainty level at each stage of a project. By being really open about this certainty (or lack thereof at some stages) you are sharing the dilemma and being genuinely open. All this leads to a more responsive and therefore less risky process in the minds of the public.
- Share the impacts
What are the price changes, and who in particular is impacted? Communities and stakeholders understand this language, and be open about the pros and cons of each option. Be prepared to consider different options. Be transparent about your internal struggles − flail publicly − this makes you more trustworthy and less risky.
- Simplify the narrative
Ensure the sequence of events and the reasoning behind the changes are easy to follow. Often energy organisations are so embedded in the technical details that they find it hard to explain the process to others. Consider using visual tools to present information, and review your content from the perspective of a customer, stakeholder, or local resident—does it clearly tell the story in a way that makes sense?
- Rethink your reference groups
Don’t set them up like you always have and instead think about their role (i.e. could they provide their own agreed consensus decisions to you? And could you make a clear promise?), how they are recruited (maybe you could apply some random, stratified selection) and their duration (so many advisory groups have no sunset clause) – see our guide to setting up advisory committees more effectively.
- Codes of conduct for community groups
Don’t decide your group’s ‘codes of conduct’ or ‘working agreements’ without their input. By co-designing these together, you’ll encourage greater commitment to the process, more respect for the guidelines, and more cooperative behavior that will help drive the work forward.