Neighborhood Energy Commons
This pattern is shaped by
Problem
When every building generates and consumes energy independently, the system is fragile — one household's solar surplus goes to waste while the neighbor runs a generator. A community that generates and shares its own energy develops a different relationship to consumption.
Evidence and Discussion
In Germany, Energiegenossenschaften (energy cooperatives) collectively own over 40% of renewable capacity. In Brooklyn, the BMG lets neighbors trade locally generated solar energy peer-to-peer. In Vermont, Green Mountain Power's community battery program reduces grid strain and saves customers money.
The energy commons should be as visible and central as a village well — on community buildings, over parking structures, as shade canopies in parks. When generation is legible from the street, it changes behavior.
Therefore
in any community of twenty or more households, establish shared energy infrastructure — community solar arrays, battery storage, and where possible, a microgrid — located on community buildings, shared structures, or common land. Make the infrastructure visible: solar canopies over gathering spaces, batteries in glass enclosures at community centers, real-time generation displays at the mobility hub. Create a governance structure (cooperative, trust, or association) that gives every household a stake in the commons.