Call for projects: digital solutions for citizen consultation

ENGIE Green, the leader in onshore wind and photovoltaic power in France, is looking for innovative companies that provide digital solutions for increasing citizen participation during the consultative processes implemented by Renewable Energy project developers.

ENGIE Green’s main objectives for this call for projects are:

• to test and develop innovative and participative digital consultation solutions that reach the maximum number of citizens and stakeholders in the region
• to inform these actors about projects in development in an attractive and even playful way
• to collect their contributions in an efficient and collaborative way
• to activate the network of stakeholders and facilitate consensus.

The proposed solution may also: 

• Include a digital application (web and mobile) that creates a dynamic link between citizens, local stakeholders and the renewable energy project developer.
• Provide a tool for intelligently managing consultation data collected from citizens
• Provide digital and non-digital interfaces for actions that can be carried out physically at the local level, such as innovative tools for coordinating consultation meetings.
• Use pedagogical technologies such as virtual visits or 3D immersion interfaces.

This solution will be aimed at renewable energy project developers, territorial actors and citizens. It will be easily usable and applicable to projects of various sizes and nature.

Deadline for submitting responses: December 14th, 2018

Rewards and benefits for selected projects:

Selected projects will get special support from ENGIE Green and its partners to:

• Test the solution under real conditions in connection with a project located in the Hauts-de-France,
• Develop business partnerships and operational projects
• Be put in contact with experts from the ENGIE Group
• Be highlighted in ENGIE Group's national and international events and communication media.

Detailed description:

ENGIE Green, a subsidiary of the ENGIE Group, develops and operates renewable energy production facilities involving onshore and offshore wind, photovoltaics and biogas. ENGIE Green is currently the leader in onshore wind and photovoltaic power in France in terms of total installed power.

With this in mind, ENGIE Green is seeking solutions to strengthen citizen participation in the consultation processes that its renewable energy developers implement over the course of their projects.

Consulting with citizens aims to ensure that everyone has access to information about renewable energy projects and allows the public to express itself. This ensures that the project owner takes into account local aspirations when defining and running the project and ensures good local acceptability. Consultative approaches help project owners develop innovative and well-suited communication tools, steer debates and express every point of view. Consultations generally take place over 4 to 6 months. *

The solution we are seeking must meet all the needs related to consultation and other specific aspects such as:

• mapping issues and actors,
• teaching and pedagogy
• gathering citizen opinions
• organizing public discussions
• building consensus
• monitoring and providing continuous information during the course of the project

ENGIE Green’s main objectives for this call for projects are:

• to test and develop innovative, participatory digital consultation solutions that bring together a maximum number of citizens and stakeholders in the region
• to inform these stakeholders about projects in development, in an attractive and playful way,
• to collect their contributions in an efficient and collaborative way
• to animate and facilitate the emergence of consensus.

The proposed solution may also: 

• Include a digital application (web and mobile) that creates a dynamic link between citizens, local stakeholders and the renewable energy project developer.
• Provide a tool for intelligently managing consultation data collected from citizens
• Provide digital and non-digital interfaces for actions that can be carried out physically at the local level, such as innovative tools for coordinating consultation meetings.
• Use pedagogical technologies such as virtual visits or 3D immersion interfaces.

The solutions must be sufficiently mature to be tested under real conditions within 1 year maximum.

Eligibilty criteria

• Suitability for the subject
• Originality/innovativeness of the project
• Costs/feasibility and economic viability
• Maturity/time to operational rollout
• Ease of use

Selection procedure:

The selection will take place in 2 stages:

1. the best likely projects will be shortlisted
2. each shortlisted project leader will be invited to give a 60 minute presentation for the selection committee (see schedule below).

The selection committee will designate a winner or winners following these presentations.

Provisionnal timetable:

• September 10, 2018: launch of the call for projects.
• December 14, 2018: deadline for submitting applications.
• Mid-December 2018: analysis and shortlisting of submitted projects.
• Early January 2019: pitch from shortlisted projects to the selection committee
• End of January 2019: final decision and announcement of the winner(s).

Members of the selection committee and partners in the call for projects:

• Local and national partners of the ENGIE Group
  
• ENGIE France Renewables
• GREEN France
• ENGIE Group - CSR Department

* For more details, see the CNDP website - recommended consultation sections and voluntary consultation https://www.debatpublic.fr/methodes-outils