Achieving the European Union’s vision of climate neutrality by 2050 dictates the need to
transform the role that citizens can play in decarbonizing the energy system. Yet, “which
citizens to involve in this process,” “when to involve them,” and “how to do so fairly and
effectively,” are questions that still remain unclear to both experts and policymakers. Energy
citizenship has been discussed as a concept that has the potential to galvanize the public for
the energy transition. This potential has yet to be fulfilled, as there is a need to connect theory
and concepts to the realities, challenges, and opportunities of the lives of citizens, under
diverse circumstances. In this perspective, we argue that the concept of energy citizenship and
its potential for contributing to low carbon transitions should be studied within a research
framework that aims to produce transformative knowledge. We also introduce such a new
transdisciplinary framework for creating transformative knowledge to explore and address
questions relevant to the concept of energy citizenship. Our framework aims to produce
knowledge that can be used to mobilize decarbonization actions for both individuals and
collectives, by: (i). integrating different scales of analysis and action, i.e., at individual,
collective, and national/ regional/ global levels, (ii). reconceptualizing the role of research and
researchers, and finally, (iii). striving to be inclusive in a meaningful and innovative way.
