When we talk about the energy transition, the debate tends to focus on decarbonization targets, technological innovation, and new market models. But if we want to ensure that this transformation is fair, lasting, and effective, we must look beyond technical indicators.

The change that truly matters isn’t just the one that reduces emissions or improves efficiency, but the one that generates local social value, involving people, territories, and institutions in a structured way. This process requires a coherent connection between the forces of technology, citizenship, and regulation.

The first condition for this balance is regulation that goes beyond efficiency. The bureaucracy inherent in projects not only hinders innovation but also alienates people from the process. For example, in Portugal, between 2019 and 2023, many promising energy communities lost momentum due to legal and bureaucratic obstacles. We learned from this that regulation must be designed with three principles: clarity in processes, flexibility to adapt to local contexts, and equity to ensure no one is left behind. Regulation, when well-directed, is not an end in itself, but a means to enable participation, co-ownership, and the creation of trust.

But regulation alone is not enough; digitalization has become a critical link between regulatory ambition and practical reality on the ground. Currently, there are platforms that allow citizens to monitor their energy production, consumption, and sharing.

However, as we saw with the European GRETA project, the impact of digital platforms depends on how they are designed: accessibility, clarity, and emotional adaptation are as important as functionality. We learned that automating processes isn’t enough; we need to create tools that help people understand, trust, and act on these processes—only then can we foster active energy citizenship.

And this is precisely the third pillar of the triangle: active energy citizenship. Energy communities are not mere sums of equipment; they are networks of relationships, collective decisions, and trust built over time. Citizen involvement cannot be an extra; it must be a structural part of the solution. Its absence can compromise the entire model. Given the data, involving local industry and commerce, schools, neighborhoods, small businesses, and vulnerable families is not only fair: it is necessary for the transition to take root locally and be scalable.

Ultimately, we are facing a change that is as much institutional as it is technological. Innovators must assume their role as mediators between technical and human systems, while regulators must listen, experiment, and adjust. And finally, citizens must have real means to participate—with time, information, and support.

The impact is evident: communities with cheaper energy, greater local resilience, and growing confidence in the transition process. But perhaps most important is recognizing the role of the triangular model that makes all of this possible: citizens who bring trust and lived experience, regulators who ensure clarity and agility in processes, and companies that connect these worlds through technological and operational solutions.

As Europe seeks to balance competitiveness, decarbonization, and social justice, the Portuguese example shows that the energy transition is both a technical and a deeply relational issue.