This pre-conference webinar was hosted by the E-LAND project (https://elandh2020.eu) and its stakeholder innovation group. The E-LAND project is an international project that develops a toolbox for energy related business model innovation. By focusing on local energy islands E-LAND links the potential of digitalization to the coupling of different energy sectors. The meeting has a specific focus on universities as energy islands. The potential to develop a carbon neutral campus will be illuminated. The insights provide important information for a broad range of properties and managers of green campuses (e.g. universities, universities of applied sciences, commercial real estate, or industrial parks), energy professionals, investors, and scholars. The meeting also has a specific focus on community engagement and business model innovation. Two views from E-LAND and similar international research and innovation projects are presented. the goal is to discuss and build up collaborations to improve community engagement and business model innovation also for one's own energy innovation projects.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding measures have significantly influenced societies as a whole, urban transportation in particular. While the use of public transport has decreased to a fraction of the pre-pandemic levels, private mobility and active transport modes such as cycling have increased in popularity. In order for these trends not to further exacerbate the existing challenges of urban transportation, namely high congestion and pollution, the new normal has to be based on low carbon solutions. Electric vehicles (EVs) represent the most promising technology to decarbonize transport. Their adoption is slowly increasing yet is still far behind the global and Swiss national targets. To promote electric mobility in Swiss cities, innovative strategies are necessary. Product bundling has been shown to be an effective marketing strategy to reduce complexity and motivate pro-environmental behavior in other sectors, such as food and energy. How successful can bundling be to accelerate adoption of electric mobility and thus help make urban transport systems more sustainable in the new post-COVID-19-normal? This is the main question to be answered in the workshop. After a brief introduction of the concept and the impact of COVID-19 on urban transport, two initiatives employing bundling to promote electric mobility in Switzerland will be introduced. A moderated Q&A session will follow, during which participants will have a chance to raise questions and interact with the experts.

Financial participation of local citizens in renewable energy projects has emerged as a promising option to increase social acceptance. As a result, industry actors and policymakers are looking for ways to incentivize financial participation. However, the success of those measures remains unclear. This webinar aims to investigate the challenges associated with financial participation and related incentives to derive best practice guidelines for developers and policymakers. The interactive session will draw on the German experience, addressing many questions such as: What is the role of citizens in the German energy transition following recent changes to community investment rules? What could be the way forward in dealing with these challenges?

Intense debates around the siting of wind turbines or the #FridaysForFuture movement have highlighted that energy projects and climate policies can trigger strong emotions, positive or negative. While these emotions can be an obstacle to implementing clean energy policies, they can also be a positive driver. People prefer hearing about solutions rather than problems. Highlighting the positive sides of clean energy, such as wind energy, may elicit positive emotions that may, in turn, facilitate acceptance. In order to move from insight to impact, this workshop consists of three parts: (1) we will discuss why emotions matter and the types of emotions existing among the Swiss population regarding wind energy, (2) renewable energy professionals will share their insights into stakeholders’ efforts to address emotions and specifically, spread positive ones, and (3) participants will be invited to ask questions and join the debate on the topic.

The demand for renewable energy in the winter half-year will increase significantly in the foreseeable future, as a result of nuclear power plants being shut down and the trend towards electrification of buildings and transport. Increasing the capacity of seasonal storage (hydropower), as well as an expansion of wind energy, which generates more electricity during the winter half-year, are two existing options, but specific projects in both areas are facing social acceptance issues. A third option is the deployment of alpine solar power projects. Higher irradiation, less fog, and snow reflection create ideal conditions for harnessing the sun in alpine regions. Is alpine solar power a promising option to close the winter gap as well as to attract investments for alpine regions? Or will landscape impacts lead to similar social acceptance issues? Come and join the debate!

With rapidly growing air travel demand, reducing CO2 emissions from flying has become a central focus for research and social movements. Train travel is an especially promising alternative to flying; a trip by train often reduces CO2 emissions by 80% or more compared to the same journey by plane. To realize the full potential of the current momentum of change towards low-carbon travel behavior, it is key that we understand customer preferences and how they are formed. Research reveals that travel time, price, comfort and climate change perceptions are related to travel behavior. However, little is known about the emotional aspects of travel mode decisions. Are people simply excited about flying? If so, what are ways to overcome these emotional barriers to cleaner travel mode choices? In this webinar, participants will gain insights from mobility experts, who are at the forefront of reshaping travel to lower its carbon intensity. We will discuss recent low-carbon travel trends and strategies aimed at behavior change that lasts beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.