Embracing complexity: Microgrids and community engagement in Australia

IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Energy Research & Social Science Pub Date : 2024-10-31 DOI:10.1016/j.erss.2024.103811
Farzan Tahir, Scott Dwyer, Scott Kelly
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Abstract

In the context of the energy transition and a changing climate, microgrids have emerged as a promising solution for ensuring a resilient and reliable electricity supply for rural and remote areas. Beyond the technical and economic considerations, social acceptance will be immensely important if microgrids are to be widely adopted by the people who live in these communities. This requires complex community engagement strategies delivered by knowledgeable practitioners, encouraging collaborative participation and active community involvement in decision-making. This study investigated how community engagement was applied by nineteen organisations that received funding to undertake microgrid feasibility studies for ninety communities across Australia between 2020 and 2024. A Community-based Participatory research (CBPR) framework was employed to uncover the challenges encountered at each step of the engagement process and what was done to overcome them. The study revealed major community engagement challenges, including inadequate funding, low energy literacy levels, and engagement fatigue. The findings also suggest that due to the inherent complexity of microgrids, these projects need to take an iterative and flexible approach, planning for expansive and resource-intensive engagement with the community to be effective. The research findings provide valuable insights for community engagement practitioners, policymakers, and service providers involved in planning microgrids and developing related policies and programs for rural and remote communities.
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拥抱复杂性:澳大利亚的微电网和社区参与
在能源转型和气候不断变化的背景下,微电网已成为确保为农村和偏远地区提供弹性和可靠电力供应的一种有前途的解决方案。除了技术和经济方面的考虑,如果微电网要被生活在这些社区的人们广泛采用,社会的接受度将是非常重要的。这就需要由知识渊博的从业人员实施复杂的社区参与战略,鼓励合作参与和社区积极参与决策。本研究调查了获得资助的 19 家机构如何在 2020 年至 2024 年期间对澳大利亚的 90 个社区进行微电网可行性研究,并对社区参与的应用情况进行了调查。研究采用了基于社区的参与式研究(CBPR)框架,以揭示参与过程中每一步所遇到的挑战,以及为克服这些挑战所采取的措施。研究揭示了社区参与的主要挑战,包括资金不足、能源知识水平低和参与疲劳。研究结果还表明,由于微电网固有的复杂性,这些项目需要采取迭代和灵活的方法,计划与社区进行广泛和资源密集型的接触,这样才能取得成效。研究结果为参与微电网规划以及为农村和偏远社区制定相关政策和计划的社区参与实践者、政策制定者和服务提供者提供了宝贵的见解。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Energy Research & Social Science
Energy Research & Social Science ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES-
CiteScore
14.00
自引率
16.40%
发文量
441
审稿时长
55 days
期刊介绍: Energy Research & Social Science (ERSS) is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes original research and review articles examining the relationship between energy systems and society. ERSS covers a range of topics revolving around the intersection of energy technologies, fuels, and resources on one side and social processes and influences - including communities of energy users, people affected by energy production, social institutions, customs, traditions, behaviors, and policies - on the other. Put another way, ERSS investigates the social system surrounding energy technology and hardware. ERSS is relevant for energy practitioners, researchers interested in the social aspects of energy production or use, and policymakers. Energy Research & Social Science (ERSS) provides an interdisciplinary forum to discuss how social and technical issues related to energy production and consumption interact. Energy production, distribution, and consumption all have both technical and human components, and the latter involves the human causes and consequences of energy-related activities and processes as well as social structures that shape how people interact with energy systems. Energy analysis, therefore, needs to look beyond the dimensions of technology and economics to include these social and human elements.
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