This is the story of a Belgian graduate student who asked a simple question—can a neighborhood truly own its own energy?—and uncovered a web of hidden barriers buried deep inside the system. In this episode of Just Power, Carolyn speaks with Hannah Liebrand, a climate and energy governance researcher from Belgium and recent magna cum laude graduate of Ghent University. Through her master’s thesis, Hannah investigated a proposed citizen-led energy cooperative in the historic Muide-Meulestede neighborhood of Ghent—before the project even launched—and revealed how network tariffs, fragmented homeownership, landlord–renter dynamics, and policy design can quietly block community energy before it ever gets off the ground. This conversation explores what energy democracy really looks like in practice—and what leaders, utilities, and communities across Europe and the U.S. can learn from this student-led research.

Highlights

• How a master’s student in Belgium surfaced the real barriers to a citizen-led energy cooperative in Ghent—before the project ever began.
• How citizen-led energy cooperatives are meant to work, and why market rules like network tariffs and grid fees can make or break them.
• What Hannah’s case study reveals about energy democracy in practice, using distributive, procedural, and recognition justice framework.
• How landlord–renter dynamics and energy poverty complicate local clean energy projects, especially in older, fragmented housing.
• Why participation often defaults to the “usual suspects,” and what that means for representation, trust, and legitimacy in community energy projects.
• What policymakers, utilities, and community leaders can learn from this Belgian case study to better support citizen-led energy co-ops, energy affordability, and equitable local clean energy solutions.

About Hannah Liebrand
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-liebrand-0b4397271/
Belgian Science for Climate Action Conference:  https://www.scienceforclimateaction.be/

Referenced in podcast: Muide-Meulestede is a residential area surrounded by docks and port industry, located on a peninsula in the north of the city of Ghent. Approximate population is 4716.

About Carolyn Parrs
Carolyn is the CEO of Mind Over Markets, a branding and messaging company that helps mission-driven businesses and energy organizations communicate with clarity and power. 
Website: https://mindovermarkets.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermarkets
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynparrs/

About Just Power Podcast
The Just Power Podcast is about making clean, affordable and reliable energy accessible to everyone. Created and hosted by Carolyn Parrs, it features energy experts, policymakers, tribal voices, and community champions who are working hard to make energy equity a reality in our energy transition.

🔔 Never Miss an Update! Subscribe Now
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJustPowerPodcast?sub_confirmation=1

💖 Spread the Love
Like, comment, and share this episode with a friend, policy maker, or energy provider who needs to hear this.

YouTube

Facebook

Instagram

New Mexico State University Microlearning

Mind Over Markets

LinkedIn