首页 > 最新文献

Energy Research & Social Science最新文献

英文 中文
When past meets present: A mixed-methods study of heating practices in Sweden during the energy crisis
IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Pub Date : 2025-03-05 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104013
Jenny von Platten
During the energy crisis in 2022/2023, households across Europe were encouraged to reduce their energy use to contribute to energy sufficiency, sovereignty, and solidarity. This paper explores energy saving heating practices among Swedish single-family households during the energy crisis in 2022. The Energy Cultures Framework is used to investigate how material culture and norms affect practices for energy sufficiency, here explored as having a partly heated dwelling, and indicators of energy vulnerability, here explored as limiting heating to the extent of feeling cold. A mixed-methods approach was adopted in an Explanatory Sequential Design using over 900 survey responses from the fall of 2022 and 44 oral histories collected during the winters of 2023 and 2024 to gain a comprehensive understanding of how households' past and present influence heating practices. It was found that heating system affects both heating practices, showing how electric heating caused sufficiency as well as vulnerability among households during the energy crisis. It was also found that factors related to upbringing affected the practice of having a partly heated dwelling, whereas factors related to individual characteristics primarily correlated with limiting heating to the extent of feeling cold, where women and people with poorer health were more likely to feel cold. Built on a rigorous empirical material, the findings of this study can help promote more just policy measures that account for the various ways, affected by both past and present, in which heating reductions are unevenly available as well as tolerable for different households.
{"title":"When past meets present: A mixed-methods study of heating practices in Sweden during the energy crisis","authors":"Jenny von Platten","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the energy crisis in 2022/2023, households across Europe were encouraged to reduce their energy use to contribute to energy sufficiency, sovereignty, and solidarity. This paper explores energy saving heating practices among Swedish single-family households during the energy crisis in 2022. The Energy Cultures Framework is used to investigate how material culture and norms affect practices for energy sufficiency, here explored as having a partly heated dwelling, and indicators of energy vulnerability, here explored as limiting heating to the extent of feeling cold. A mixed-methods approach was adopted in an Explanatory Sequential Design using over 900 survey responses from the fall of 2022 and 44 oral histories collected during the winters of 2023 and 2024 to gain a comprehensive understanding of how households' past and present influence heating practices. It was found that heating system affects both heating practices, showing how electric heating caused sufficiency as well as vulnerability among households during the energy crisis. It was also found that factors related to upbringing affected the practice of having a partly heated dwelling, whereas factors related to individual characteristics primarily correlated with limiting heating to the extent of feeling cold, where women and people with poorer health were more likely to feel cold. Built on a rigorous empirical material, the findings of this study can help promote more just policy measures that account for the various ways, affected by both past and present, in which heating reductions are unevenly available as well as tolerable for different households.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 104013"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143551155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Filling in the gaps from the bottom up: Energy justice guidelines for European Union energy poverty policy
IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Pub Date : 2025-03-04 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103975
Ruth Shortall, Anna Mengolini
Energy justice can provide a lens for assessing energy policies taking place in socio-technical systems. Although energy justice is a policy priority in the EU, in 2023, 10.6 % of the EU population were unable to keep their home adequately warm and around 7 % of the EU population had arrears on their utility bills. EU policies strive to tackle energy poverty, however, due to its complexity, policies may fall short or even inadvertently exacerbate existing injustices. There is hence a need for improved understanding of the socio-technical factors contributing to the injustice of energy poverty, considering the specificities of each context. There is also no formal assessment framework for energy justice in the EU, despite the fact that a just transition is a policy priority. Current energy justice assessment frameworks are criticised for being too difficult to operationalise or too top-down. We aim to address some of these shortcomings by applying a participatory bottom-up approach, incorporating the Capability Approach, in order to lay the foundations for future, context-sensitive assessments in the EU. We carry out a qualitative analysis that explores the conceptualisation of energy justice according to key energy system actors and householders, who participated in EU-funded energy poverty projects. From this, we derive guideline energy justice criteria, in the context of energy poverty. Our findings may prove useful for policy-makers when designing or assessing R&I calls relating to energy poverty and the approach could be re-applied in other energy poverty policy contexts.
{"title":"Filling in the gaps from the bottom up: Energy justice guidelines for European Union energy poverty policy","authors":"Ruth Shortall,&nbsp;Anna Mengolini","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103975","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103975","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy justice can provide a lens for assessing energy policies taking place in socio-technical systems. Although energy justice is a policy priority in the EU, in 2023, 10.6 % of the EU population were unable to keep their home adequately warm and around 7 % of the EU population had arrears on their utility bills. EU policies strive to tackle energy poverty, however, due to its complexity, policies may fall short or even inadvertently exacerbate existing injustices. There is hence a need for improved understanding of the socio-technical factors contributing to the injustice of energy poverty, considering the specificities of each context. There is also no formal assessment framework for energy justice in the EU, despite the fact that a just transition is a policy priority. Current energy justice assessment frameworks are criticised for being too difficult to operationalise or too top-down. We aim to address some of these shortcomings by applying a participatory bottom-up approach, incorporating the Capability Approach, in order to lay the foundations for future, context-sensitive assessments in the EU. We carry out a qualitative analysis that explores the conceptualisation of energy justice according to key energy system actors and householders, who participated in EU-funded energy poverty projects. From this, we derive guideline energy justice criteria, in the context of energy poverty. Our findings may prove useful for policy-makers when designing or assessing R&amp;I calls relating to energy poverty and the approach could be re-applied in other energy poverty policy contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103975"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143551156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Jobs aren't enough: Redefining just transitions in Australia with community voices
IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Pub Date : 2025-03-04 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103999
Rose-Marie Stambe , Greg Marston , Darryn Snell , Jeremy Moss
The transition to a low carbon economy is underway in Australia and many other advanced economies with significant social, economic and employment challenges. For a just transition to succeed it must reduce emissions while ensuring that the benefits and burdens of any transition are fairly shared at the local and global level. A social justice framework is crucial to ensure regional communities are not made worse off by transition strategies. Our study employed critical discourse analysis to examine key government and media articles on the energy transformation in Queensland, Australia as well as qualitative responses to a survey done in Gladstone, a town central to the Queensland transition. We find that the government focuses on manufacturing ‘community’ and emphasising the importance of generating jobs and training to ensure Queensland is a clean energy superpower. However, this framing misses the more nuanced understanding of what a just transition could be according to community members. We argue for adopting social policies that tackle both climate change and other community priorities to bolster support from local stakeholders for climate action.
{"title":"Jobs aren't enough: Redefining just transitions in Australia with community voices","authors":"Rose-Marie Stambe ,&nbsp;Greg Marston ,&nbsp;Darryn Snell ,&nbsp;Jeremy Moss","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103999","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103999","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition to a low carbon economy is underway in Australia and many other advanced economies with significant social, economic and employment challenges. For a just transition to succeed it must reduce emissions while ensuring that the benefits and burdens of any transition are fairly shared at the local and global level. A social justice framework is crucial to ensure regional communities are not made worse off by transition strategies. Our study employed critical discourse analysis to examine key government and media articles on the energy transformation in Queensland, Australia as well as qualitative responses to a survey done in Gladstone, a town central to the Queensland transition. We find that the government focuses on manufacturing ‘community’ and emphasising the importance of generating jobs and training to ensure Queensland is a clean energy superpower. However, this framing misses the more nuanced understanding of what a just transition could be according to community members. We argue for adopting social policies that tackle both climate change and other community priorities to bolster support from local stakeholders for climate action.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103999"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143551157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Decarbonising heating and cooling: Barriers and opportunities facing aquifer thermal energy storage in the United Kingdom
IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Pub Date : 2025-03-03 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104006
Ting Liu, Richard Hanna, Yiannis Kountouris
Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) is a shallow geothermal technology which can contribute to heating and cooling decarbonisation. The low global deployment of ATES does not match its technical potential. Understanding relevant societal challenges and opportunities is crucial for scaling up ATES deployment. Here, we draw upon a Responsible Innovation (RI) framework to assess the social desirability, opportunities, and limitations applying to wider adoption of ATES in the United Kingdom. We focus on the RI dimensions of anticipation, reflection, inclusion, and responsiveness, and extend the framework to incorporate ethics and frugality. We use information from 14 semi-structured interviews conducted with a representative set of stakeholders associated with ATES, focusing on the Greater Manchester Metropolitan area, a region with significant potential for ATES development. Our results highlight the multifaceted benefits of ATES deployment for the local economy, environment, and energy efficiency, alongside the associated risks. We identify barriers to deploying ATES including a lack of sector-specific regulations, licensing and infrastructure complexities, and uncertainties. To facilitate wider ATES uptake, we suggest focusing on improving market awareness, promoting industry-specific education and knowledge sharing, enabling stakeholder engagement through government initiatives, leveraging stakeholders' collective expertise, as well as developing tailored legislative and regulatory measures to uphold national ATES standards. Central to our findings is the emphasis on value-inclusive design of ATES systems, aligning with social desirability and local priorities such as affordability, safety, reliability, inclusivity, responsiveness, and sustainability.
{"title":"Decarbonising heating and cooling: Barriers and opportunities facing aquifer thermal energy storage in the United Kingdom","authors":"Ting Liu,&nbsp;Richard Hanna,&nbsp;Yiannis Kountouris","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) is a shallow geothermal technology which can contribute to heating and cooling decarbonisation. The low global deployment of ATES does not match its technical potential. Understanding relevant societal challenges and opportunities is crucial for scaling up ATES deployment. Here, we draw upon a Responsible Innovation (RI) framework to assess the social desirability, opportunities, and limitations applying to wider adoption of ATES in the United Kingdom. We focus on the RI dimensions of anticipation, reflection, inclusion, and responsiveness, and extend the framework to incorporate ethics and frugality. We use information from 14 semi-structured interviews conducted with a representative set of stakeholders associated with ATES, focusing on the Greater Manchester Metropolitan area, a region with significant potential for ATES development. Our results highlight the multifaceted benefits of ATES deployment for the local economy, environment, and energy efficiency, alongside the associated risks. We identify barriers to deploying ATES including a lack of sector-specific regulations, licensing and infrastructure complexities, and uncertainties. To facilitate wider ATES uptake, we suggest focusing on improving market awareness, promoting industry-specific education and knowledge sharing, enabling stakeholder engagement through government initiatives, leveraging stakeholders' collective expertise, as well as developing tailored legislative and regulatory measures to uphold national ATES standards. Central to our findings is the emphasis on value-inclusive design of ATES systems, aligning with social desirability and local priorities such as affordability, safety, reliability, inclusivity, responsiveness, and sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 104006"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143529212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Does energy access impact refugees' human capital development? A case study of Myanmar refugees in Thailand's camps
IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Pub Date : 2025-03-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104008
Shwe Yi Myint Myat, Thi Phuoc Lai Nguyen
Most refugees live in poor living conditions and lack clean energy. While previous studies have focused on basic humanitarian needs, limited attention has been given to energy access and human capital in prolonged refugee settings, particularly in non-signatory host countries like Thailand. This study addresses this gap by examining refugees' energy access and its impact on human capital development through a case study of Myanmar refugees in Thailand's Umpiem Mai (UPM) and Ban Mai Nai Soi (BMN) camps. Data collection was made through field observation, 25 semi-structured interviews, 202 household surveys and 20 key informant interview. Multi-Tier Framework was applied to analyze households' energy access, quantitative statistical analysis was used for the survey data, and thematic analysis was applied to the interview data. The findings revealed that in BMN, most households have Tier 0 electricity access. UPM is grid-connected but classified as Tier 1 due to high electricity rates. Both camps' cooking access is Tier 3. The streetlighting tier of BMN is Tier 0 and UPM is Tier 3. Consequently, UPM has superior human capital compared to BMN. Energy access is found to be affected by income, occupation and geographical location of the refugees. However, there have been limited humanitarian assistance from the United Nations (UNs), International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs), and governments regarding energy access for refugees in these camps. This research calls for urgent attention to the energy access of refugees by international organizations to ensure basic human rights and moral obligations.
大多数难民生活条件恶劣,缺乏清洁能源。以往的研究主要关注基本的人道主义需求,但对长期难民环境中的能源获取和人力资本关注有限,尤其是在泰国这样的非签署国东道国。本研究通过对泰国翁比迈(UPM)和班迈奈梭依(BMN)难民营中缅甸难民的案例研究,探讨了难民的能源获取及其对人力资本发展的影响,从而弥补了这一空白。通过实地观察、25 个半结构化访谈、202 个家庭调查和 20 个关键信息提供者访谈收集数据。多层框架用于分析家庭的能源获取情况,定量统计分析用于调查数据,专题分析用于访谈数据。调查结果显示,在 BMN,大多数家庭的用电等级为 0。大马士革特殊教育项目(UPM)已接入电网,但由于电费较高,被归类为第 1 级。两个营地的炊事用电均为第 3 级。BMN 的路灯照明为 0 级,而 UPM 为 3 级。因此,UPM 的人力资本优于 BMN。能源供应受难民的收入、职业和地理位置的影响。然而,联合国(UNs)、国际非政府组织(INGOs)和各国政府为这些难民营中的难民提供的人道主义援助十分有限。这项研究呼吁国际组织紧急关注难民的能源获取问题,以确保基本人权和道德义务。
{"title":"Does energy access impact refugees' human capital development? A case study of Myanmar refugees in Thailand's camps","authors":"Shwe Yi Myint Myat,&nbsp;Thi Phuoc Lai Nguyen","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Most refugees live in poor living conditions and lack clean energy. While previous studies have focused on basic humanitarian needs, limited attention has been given to energy access and human capital in prolonged refugee settings, particularly in non-signatory host countries like Thailand. This study addresses this gap by examining refugees' energy access and its impact on human capital development through a case study of Myanmar refugees in Thailand's Umpiem Mai (UPM) and Ban Mai Nai Soi (BMN) camps. Data collection was made through field observation, 25 semi-structured interviews, 202 household surveys and 20 key informant interview. Multi-Tier Framework was applied to analyze households' energy access, quantitative statistical analysis was used for the survey data, and thematic analysis was applied to the interview data. The findings revealed that in BMN, most households have Tier 0 electricity access. UPM is grid-connected but classified as Tier 1 due to high electricity rates. Both camps' cooking access is Tier 3. The streetlighting tier of BMN is Tier 0 and UPM is Tier 3. Consequently, UPM has superior human capital compared to BMN. Energy access is found to be affected by income, occupation and geographical location of the refugees. However, there have been limited humanitarian assistance from the United Nations (UNs), International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs), and governments regarding energy access for refugees in these camps. This research calls for urgent attention to the energy access of refugees by international organizations to ensure basic human rights and moral obligations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 104008"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143521036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Sámi perspectives on energy justice and wind energy developments in Northern Norway
IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Pub Date : 2025-03-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104004
Aniek Blokzijl , Elisabet Dueholm Rasch
This article uses a relational ontology lens to analyze how Sámi reindeer herders in Northern Norway experience wind energy developments and energy justice. While most research on just energy transitions tends to focus on distribution, procedural and recognition justice, decolonial environmental justice scholars have argued that this approach fails to fully capture how energy (in)justice is perceived by Indigenous peoples. Our study builds on these insights and explores how Sámi relational ontologies shape their perceptions of energy justice. Building on ethnographic fieldwork - including participant observation and interviews conducted in Guovdageaidnu - we seek to answer the question: How does relational ontology shape Sámi reindeer herders' perceptions of justice in the transition towards renewable energy? We conclude that for Sámi reindeer herders, a just energy transition not only depends on distributional, procedural and recognition justice, but that their perceptions of what is “just” in energy transitions also revolve around: 1) other-than-humans 2) multiple ways of being in the world 3) diverse ways of knowing 4) temporality and 5) historical processes of dispossession. By unravelling why Sámi perceive wind developments as unjust, this article shows how the transition towards renewable energy can deepen already existing injustices and that embracing alternative ontologies could pave the way for an energy transition that is also considered just by Indigenous peoples. In so doing, the article contributes to the emerging literature that analyses energy justice through an ontological lens.
{"title":"Sámi perspectives on energy justice and wind energy developments in Northern Norway","authors":"Aniek Blokzijl ,&nbsp;Elisabet Dueholm Rasch","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article uses a relational ontology lens to analyze how Sámi reindeer herders in Northern Norway experience wind energy developments and energy justice. While most research on just energy transitions tends to focus on distribution, procedural and recognition justice, decolonial environmental justice scholars have argued that this approach fails to fully capture how energy (in)justice is perceived by Indigenous peoples. Our study builds on these insights and explores how Sámi relational ontologies shape their perceptions of energy justice. Building on ethnographic fieldwork - including participant observation and interviews conducted in Guovdageaidnu - we seek to answer the question: How does relational ontology shape Sámi reindeer herders' perceptions of justice in the transition towards renewable energy? We conclude that for Sámi reindeer herders, a just energy transition not only depends on distributional, procedural and recognition justice, but that their perceptions of what is “just” in energy transitions also revolve around: 1) other-than-humans 2) multiple ways of being in the world 3) diverse ways of knowing 4) temporality and 5) historical processes of dispossession. By unravelling why Sámi perceive wind developments as unjust, this article shows how the transition towards renewable energy can deepen already existing injustices and that embracing alternative ontologies could pave the way for an energy transition that is also considered just by Indigenous peoples. In so doing, the article contributes to the emerging literature that analyses energy justice through an ontological lens.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 104004"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143521037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Staying put or pulling out? How mini grid developers use business model innovation to overcome challenges and barriers in Kenya
IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Pub Date : 2025-03-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104005
Mbeo Ogeya , Solomon Ogara , Margrethe Holm Andersen
Using a sustainable business model innovation framework, this paper employs a case study approach to investigate why private mini grid developers have remained resilient and competitive in Kenya's electricity market despite changing market and policy conditions. Although mini grids in Kenya date back to the 1970s, significant rural mini grid development by the private sector began post-2010. These developments have encountered numerous technical, systemic, and social challenges. This study examines the reasons behind their resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability by interviewing five prominent mini grid developers, collectively representing 87 % of privately owned mini grid sites in Kenya.
The analysis reveals how private mini grid developers have exploited innovative approaches within the mini grid electricity product-service systems. It found that private sector mini grids have effectively utilized business model innovation to deliver and capture value. The primary service provided is sustainable electricity for domestic and productive uses to residential and institutional customers, though many developers have also benefited from supplementary products. Over the years, they have leveraged transformative innovations such as smart meters and the Internet of Things to enhance productivity and efficiency. Additionally, the relationship between users and mini grid developers has improved, boosting their competitiveness. Through innovative payment and billing methods, developers have reduced the financial burden on users, decreasing disconnection rates while increasing income. Thus, the paper argues that sustainable business model innovation is key to their ability to navigate shifting competition and policy pressures.
本文利用可持续商业模式创新框架,采用案例研究的方法,探讨私营微型电网开发商为何能在市场和政策条件不断变化的情况下,仍能在肯尼亚电力市场保持弹性和竞争力。尽管肯尼亚的微型电网可追溯到 20 世纪 70 年代,但私营部门对农村微型电网的大力开发始于 2010 年之后。这些发展遇到了许多技术、系统和社会挑战。本研究通过采访五家著名的微型电网开发商(共占肯尼亚私人拥有的微型电网站点的 87%),探讨了这些开发商的复原力、竞争力和可持续性背后的原因。分析发现,私营微型电网有效利用了商业模式创新来提供和获取价值。提供的主要服务是向居民和机构客户提供用于家庭和生产用途的可持续电力,尽管许多开发商也从辅助产品中获益。多年来,它们利用智能电表和物联网等变革性创新来提高生产力和效率。此外,用户与微型电网开发商之间的关系也得到了改善,提高了他们的竞争力。通过创新的支付和计费方法,开发商减轻了用户的经济负担,降低了断网率,同时增加了收入。因此,本文认为,可持续的商业模式创新是他们应对不断变化的竞争和政策压力的关键。
{"title":"Staying put or pulling out? How mini grid developers use business model innovation to overcome challenges and barriers in Kenya","authors":"Mbeo Ogeya ,&nbsp;Solomon Ogara ,&nbsp;Margrethe Holm Andersen","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Using a sustainable business model innovation framework, this paper employs a case study approach to investigate why private mini grid developers have remained resilient and competitive in Kenya's electricity market despite changing market and policy conditions. Although mini grids in Kenya date back to the 1970s, significant rural mini grid development by the private sector began post-2010. These developments have encountered numerous technical, systemic, and social challenges. This study examines the reasons behind their resilience, competitiveness, and sustainability by interviewing five prominent mini grid developers, collectively representing 87 % of privately owned mini grid sites in Kenya.</div><div>The analysis reveals how private mini grid developers have exploited innovative approaches within the mini grid electricity product-service systems. It found that private sector mini grids have effectively utilized business model innovation to deliver and capture value. The primary service provided is sustainable electricity for domestic and productive uses to residential and institutional customers, though many developers have also benefited from supplementary products. Over the years, they have leveraged transformative innovations such as smart meters and the Internet of Things to enhance productivity and efficiency. Additionally, the relationship between users and mini grid developers has improved, boosting their competitiveness. Through innovative payment and billing methods, developers have reduced the financial burden on users, decreasing disconnection rates while increasing income. Thus, the paper argues that sustainable business model innovation is key to their ability to navigate shifting competition and policy pressures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 104005"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143521038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Closing the gap: Integrating behavioral and social dynamics through a modular modelling framework for low-energy demand pathways 缩小差距:通过低能耗需求途径模块化建模框架整合行为和社会动态
IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Pub Date : 2025-02-28 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103988
Leila Niamir , Felix Creutzig
Demand-side pathways play a key role in achieving the 1.5-degree target and enhancing human well-being. Achieving this requires establishing a systematic bridge between social sciences and climate-energy-economy assessment tools, such as models. The IPCC's sixth assessment report faced challenges in providing robust demand-side scenarios, primarily due to the intricate nature of this challenge and existing knowledge gaps. Nevertheless, it emphasizes the urgent need for a more thorough examination of demand-side pathways. Policymakers and stakeholders are in dire need of improved decision support tools capable of anticipating demand-side interventions, especially behavioral and social interventions, and guide the planning of low-energy demand pathways. In this perspective, we comprehensively assess the drivers of change in the transition toward low-energy demand. We categorize these drivers into behavioral and socio-cultural factors, technological and infrastructural design and adoption, and institutional settings. Moreover, we propose a modular architecture and a complementary modelling framework that facilitates nuanced, policy-relevant scenario exploration. Such exploration is essential for translating scientific insights into actionable measures. Additionally, we call for a comprehensive community effort to co-create and co-develop this modular and complementary modelling platform.
{"title":"Closing the gap: Integrating behavioral and social dynamics through a modular modelling framework for low-energy demand pathways","authors":"Leila Niamir ,&nbsp;Felix Creutzig","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103988","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103988","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Demand-side pathways play a key role in achieving the 1.5-degree target and enhancing human well-being. Achieving this requires establishing a systematic bridge between social sciences and climate-energy-economy assessment tools, such as models. The IPCC's sixth assessment report faced challenges in providing robust demand-side scenarios, primarily due to the intricate nature of this challenge and existing knowledge gaps. Nevertheless, it emphasizes the urgent need for a more thorough examination of demand-side pathways. Policymakers and stakeholders are in dire need of improved decision support tools capable of anticipating demand-side interventions, especially behavioral and social interventions, and guide the planning of low-energy demand pathways. In this perspective, we comprehensively assess the drivers of change in the transition toward low-energy demand. We categorize these drivers into behavioral and socio-cultural factors, technological and infrastructural design and adoption, and institutional settings. Moreover, we propose a modular architecture and a complementary modelling framework that facilitates nuanced, policy-relevant scenario exploration. Such exploration is essential for translating scientific insights into actionable measures. Additionally, we call for a comprehensive community effort to co-create and co-develop this modular and complementary modelling platform.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103988"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143511629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Different energy poverty issues, different engagement behaviors? An empirical analysis of citizen groups in Europe 不同的能源贫困问题,不同的参与行为?对欧洲公民团体的实证分析
IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Pub Date : 2025-02-28 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104003
Bianca Grozea-Bănică, Vera Miguéis, Lia Patrício
Engagement in the ongoing energy transition is particularly challenging for energy-poor citizens. As such, there is a pressing need for a better understanding of their experiences and for strategies that enable their engagement. In this study, we identify different groups of citizens based on their energy poverty issues and examine their engagement behaviors (seeking information, proactive managing, sharing feedback, helping others, and advocating). Using cluster analysis and multiple correspondence analysis, we analyzed a sample of 915 citizens from eight European cities participating in a Horizon2020 EU project (Alkmaar-NL, Bari-IT, Celje-SI, Évora-PT, Granada-ES, Hvidovre-DK, Ioannina-GR, Újpest-HU). Several groups of citizens reported either multiple energy issues, a single issue (energy bills, insulation, cooling, heating), or no issues, and the statistical tests showed significant differences across these groups in terms of engagement in seeking information, helping, and advocating. Moreover, we identified that certain groups tend to have specific levels of engagement (high, medium, low) and that sharing feedback generally has a low level of engagement. Overall, this study provides empirical insights into how energy-poor citizens exercise agency through engagement behaviors and offers actionable insights for designing measures to mitigate energy poverty in complementarity with technical and economical solutions.
{"title":"Different energy poverty issues, different engagement behaviors? An empirical analysis of citizen groups in Europe","authors":"Bianca Grozea-Bănică,&nbsp;Vera Miguéis,&nbsp;Lia Patrício","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Engagement in the ongoing energy transition is particularly challenging for energy-poor citizens. As such, there is a pressing need for a better understanding of their experiences and for strategies that enable their engagement. In this study, we identify different groups of citizens based on their energy poverty issues and examine their engagement behaviors (seeking information, proactive managing, sharing feedback, helping others, and advocating). Using cluster analysis and multiple correspondence analysis, we analyzed a sample of 915 citizens from eight European cities participating in a Horizon2020 EU project (Alkmaar-NL, Bari-IT, Celje-SI, Évora-PT, Granada-ES, Hvidovre-DK, Ioannina-GR, Újpest-HU). Several groups of citizens reported either multiple energy issues, a single issue (energy bills, insulation, cooling, heating), or no issues, and the statistical tests showed significant differences across these groups in terms of engagement in seeking information, helping, and advocating. Moreover, we identified that certain groups tend to have specific levels of engagement (high, medium, low) and that sharing feedback generally has a low level of engagement. Overall, this study provides empirical insights into how energy-poor citizens exercise agency through engagement behaviors and offers actionable insights for designing measures to mitigate energy poverty in complementarity with technical and economical solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 104003"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143511631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Roadblocks of polarization: Interpretive mechanisms of opposition to a speed limit policy on German highways
IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Pub Date : 2025-02-28 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104009
Lotte Grünwald, James Patterson
Social polarization can generate opposition to climate policy action but how exactly this occurs is often assumed rather than explicated. Unpacking this influence is important for understanding why oppositional responses to climate policy arise among mass publics. We analyze interpretive mechanisms by which social polarization leads to policy opposition in response to a proposed speed limit on highways in Germany. We employ an abductive process-tracing approach to posit and empirically scrutinize possible interpretive mechanisms of opposition, drawing on secondary data from multiple arenas of public discourse: news media (newspapers), online debate (internet forum posts), and political representation (plenary minutes, party programs, resolutions, public statements by representatives). We find evidence of three interpretive mechanisms by which policy opposition arises, each of which can occur through more than one pathway: 1) skepticism over policy intentions, 2) defense of values, and 3) unrecognized needs and dependencies. This demonstrates how multiple interpretive mechanisms can operate simultaneously, and the need to disentangle them when explaining policy opposition. Moreover, it suggests an opportunity to proactively address interpretive aspects in policy making (e.g., by giving greater attention to how meanings become attached to policies), while also underscoring the deep socio-cultural embeddedness of climate policy action.
{"title":"Roadblocks of polarization: Interpretive mechanisms of opposition to a speed limit policy on German highways","authors":"Lotte Grünwald,&nbsp;James Patterson","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social polarization can generate opposition to climate policy action but how exactly this occurs is often assumed rather than explicated. Unpacking this influence is important for understanding why oppositional responses to climate policy arise among mass publics. We analyze interpretive mechanisms by which social polarization leads to policy opposition in response to a proposed speed limit on highways in Germany. We employ an abductive process-tracing approach to posit and empirically scrutinize possible interpretive mechanisms of opposition, drawing on secondary data from multiple arenas of public discourse: news media (newspapers), online debate (internet forum posts), and political representation (plenary minutes, party programs, resolutions, public statements by representatives). We find evidence of three interpretive mechanisms by which policy opposition arises, each of which can occur through more than one pathway: 1) skepticism over policy intentions, 2) defense of values, and 3) unrecognized needs and dependencies. This demonstrates how multiple interpretive mechanisms can operate simultaneously, and the need to disentangle them when explaining policy opposition. Moreover, it suggests an opportunity to proactively address interpretive aspects in policy making (e.g., by giving greater attention to how meanings become attached to policies), while also underscoring the deep socio-cultural embeddedness of climate policy action.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 104009"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143511630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
期刊
Energy Research & Social Science
全部 Acc. Chem. Res. ACS Applied Bio Materials ACS Appl. Electron. Mater. ACS Appl. Energy Mater. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces ACS Appl. Nano Mater. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. ACS BIOMATER-SCI ENG ACS Catal. ACS Cent. Sci. ACS Chem. Biol. ACS Chemical Health & Safety ACS Chem. Neurosci. ACS Comb. Sci. ACS Earth Space Chem. ACS Energy Lett. ACS Infect. Dis. ACS Macro Lett. ACS Mater. Lett. ACS Med. Chem. Lett. ACS Nano ACS Omega ACS Photonics ACS Sens. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. ACS Synth. Biol. Anal. Chem. BIOCHEMISTRY-US Bioconjugate Chem. BIOMACROMOLECULES Chem. Res. Toxicol. Chem. Rev. Chem. Mater. CRYST GROWTH DES ENERG FUEL Environ. Sci. Technol. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. IND ENG CHEM RES Inorg. Chem. J. Agric. Food. Chem. J. Chem. Eng. Data J. Chem. Educ. J. Chem. Inf. Model. J. Chem. Theory Comput. J. Med. Chem. J. Nat. Prod. J PROTEOME RES J. Am. Chem. Soc. LANGMUIR MACROMOLECULES Mol. Pharmaceutics Nano Lett. Org. Lett. ORG PROCESS RES DEV ORGANOMETALLICS J. Org. Chem. J. Phys. Chem. J. Phys. Chem. A J. Phys. Chem. B J. Phys. Chem. C J. Phys. Chem. Lett. Analyst Anal. Methods Biomater. Sci. Catal. Sci. Technol. Chem. Commun. Chem. Soc. Rev. CHEM EDUC RES PRACT CRYSTENGCOMM Dalton Trans. Energy Environ. Sci. ENVIRON SCI-NANO ENVIRON SCI-PROC IMP ENVIRON SCI-WAT RES Faraday Discuss. Food Funct. Green Chem. Inorg. Chem. Front. Integr. Biol. J. Anal. At. Spectrom. J. Mater. Chem. A J. Mater. Chem. B J. Mater. Chem. C Lab Chip Mater. Chem. Front. Mater. Horiz. MEDCHEMCOMM Metallomics Mol. Biosyst. Mol. Syst. Des. Eng. Nanoscale Nanoscale Horiz. Nat. Prod. Rep. New J. Chem. Org. Biomol. Chem. Org. Chem. Front. PHOTOCH PHOTOBIO SCI PCCP Polym. Chem.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
0
微信
客服QQ
Book学术公众号 扫码关注我们
反馈
×
意见反馈
请填写您的意见或建议
请填写您的手机或邮箱
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
现在去查看 取消
×
提示
确定
Book学术官方微信
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术
文献互助 智能选刊 最新文献 互助须知 联系我们:info@booksci.cn
Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。
Copyright © 2023 Book学术 All rights reserved.
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号 京ICP备2023020795号-1