Energy Research & Social Science最新文献_第6页

Does the public want green hydrogen in industry? Local and national acceptance of methanol and steel transitions in Germany

IF 6.9 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science

Pub Date : 2025-02-17 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103973

Sven Alsheimer

Public perceptions might determine the ease of the transition from a fossil-based to a green hydrogen-based production pathway in the industrial sector. The primary objective of this paper is to empirically identify the antecedents of the acceptance of two relevant industrial applications of green hydrogen: green methanol and green steel. The analysis, relying on linear regression models, utilises survey data from samples of residents near a chemical park and a steel plant (509 and 502 participants, respectively), contrasting them with a representative sample of 1502 individuals in Germany. The findings suggest that acceptance of the transitions to green methanol and green steel is high both locally and nationally. In all surveys, >59 % of the participants are in favour, while the share of those who are opposed to the respective transitions is below 9 %. Key antecedents of acceptance, which are conducive in all models, relate to individuals' attitudes towards green hydrogen and perceptions of the legitimacy of the industry actors involved, with varying results across legitimacy types. In general, the findings were similar across industrial applications and across levels of observation, but varied across regions. This study highlights the importance of civil society perceptions and suggests that relationship management efforts aimed at maintaining positive perceptions of industrial hydrogen applications should consider their broader physical and social contexts.

{"title":"Does the public want green hydrogen in industry? Local and national acceptance of methanol and steel transitions in Germany","authors":"Sven Alsheimer","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103973","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103973","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Public perceptions might determine the ease of the transition from a fossil-based to a green hydrogen-based production pathway in the industrial sector. The primary objective of this paper is to empirically identify the antecedents of the acceptance of two relevant industrial applications of green hydrogen: green methanol and green steel. The analysis, relying on linear regression models, utilises survey data from samples of residents near a chemical park and a steel plant (509 and 502 participants, respectively), contrasting them with a representative sample of 1502 individuals in Germany. The findings suggest that acceptance of the transitions to green methanol and green steel is high both locally and nationally. In all surveys, >59 % of the participants are in favour, while the share of those who are opposed to the respective transitions is below 9 %. Key antecedents of acceptance, which are conducive in all models, relate to individuals' attitudes towards green hydrogen and perceptions of the legitimacy of the industry actors involved, with varying results across legitimacy types. In general, the findings were similar across industrial applications and across levels of observation, but varied across regions. This study highlights the importance of civil society perceptions and suggests that relationship management efforts aimed at maintaining positive perceptions of industrial hydrogen applications should consider their broader physical and social contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103973"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143428123","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

Community-led solar energy technology adoption in rural Zambia: The role of observational learning and neighbor influence

IF 6.9 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science

Pub Date : 2025-02-17 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103972

Hillary Chanda , Eugene Mohareb , Michael Peters , Chris Harty

Solar PV technology holds significant potential for addressing energy access issues in rural Zambia. However, adoption rates remain low despite numerous interventions. This study explores the impact of community-based interventions, leveraging local networks, individual benefits, and peer consultation, on accelerating PV adoption and willingness to pay. The primary aim is to understand how social and individual benefits influence PV adoption intention and examine the relationship between visual exposure to solar technology and adoption intention. The research seeks to inform policies and interventions that promote sustainable energy access and socio-economic development in rural Zambia and similar contexts. Over 6 months, a qualitative study was conducted involving 58 interviews, 7 focus group discussions, pictorial evidence, and observational techniques. The study engaged 120 rural subsistence farmers and 16 commercial farmers across three regions of Zambia, using five local languages. The research employed the Rural Development Stakeholder Hybrid Adoption Model (RUDSHAM) that was developed for this research, which combines the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory. Findings reveal that shifting individual and community mindsets is crucial for project sustainability. Emphasizing individual benefits leads to broader community advantages as participation increases. Additionally, PV adoption and willingness to pay can be catalysed through systematic knowledge dissemination and leveraging peer and social influence. The study highlights the need for donors to deepen their understanding of poverty to make effective interventions. These insights provide a foundation for developing targeted strategies to enhance PV adoption in rural settings.

{"title":"Community-led solar energy technology adoption in rural Zambia: The role of observational learning and neighbor influence","authors":"Hillary Chanda , Eugene Mohareb , Michael Peters , Chris Harty","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103972","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103972","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solar PV technology holds significant potential for addressing energy access issues in rural Zambia. However, adoption rates remain low despite numerous interventions. This study explores the impact of community-based interventions, leveraging local networks, individual benefits, and peer consultation, on accelerating PV adoption and willingness to pay. The primary aim is to understand how social and individual benefits influence PV adoption intention and examine the relationship between visual exposure to solar technology and adoption intention. The research seeks to inform policies and interventions that promote sustainable energy access and socio-economic development in rural Zambia and similar contexts. Over 6 months, a qualitative study was conducted involving 58 interviews, 7 focus group discussions, pictorial evidence, and observational techniques. The study engaged 120 rural subsistence farmers and 16 commercial farmers across three regions of Zambia, using five local languages. The research employed the Rural Development Stakeholder Hybrid Adoption Model (RUDSHAM) that was developed for this research, which combines the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory. Findings reveal that shifting individual and community mindsets is crucial for project sustainability. Emphasizing individual benefits leads to broader community advantages as participation increases. Additionally, PV adoption and willingness to pay can be catalysed through systematic knowledge dissemination and leveraging peer and social influence. The study highlights the need for donors to deepen their understanding of poverty to make effective interventions. These insights provide a foundation for developing targeted strategies to enhance PV adoption in rural settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103972"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143421184","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

Disruptions and energy demand: How Finnish households responded to the energy crisis of 2022 干扰与能源需求：芬兰家庭如何应对 2022 年的能源危机

IF 6.9 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science

Pub Date : 2025-02-16 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103977

Kaisa Matschoss , Senja Laakso , Jenny Rinkinen

Europe faced an energy crisis in 2022 because of the Russian war in Ukraine. Households throughout Europe were expected to show solidarity and reduce and shift their energy use. Rapidly rising energy prices threatened the economic survival of many households. Relying on a social practice–theoretical approach, our research empirically examines the experiences of households across Finland during the energy-crisis winter of 2022–2023. Based on focus-group and individual interview data with 82 participants, we examined how households engaged in time-shifting and reducing energy use. We ask what was done differently, whether new technologies were installed, and whether new meanings or competencies were developed. Our findings suggest that households engaged in activities: to reduce and shift energy use for their own economic benefit to avoid large energy bills; to influence their overall energy costs; to ensure the availability of energy to all; and to avoid power cuts (societal benefit) and make everyday life more sustainable (environmental benefit). Households engaged in a variety of practices to reduce and shift energy use, such as reducing indoor temperature, taking fewer hot showers, using electric saunas less often, using wood heating more, and washing dishes and doing laundry at night. We conceptualised demand flexibility as complexes and bundles of energy-related practices and their elements.

{"title":"Disruptions and energy demand: How Finnish households responded to the energy crisis of 2022","authors":"Kaisa Matschoss , Senja Laakso , Jenny Rinkinen","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103977","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103977","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Europe faced an energy crisis in 2022 because of the Russian war in Ukraine. Households throughout Europe were expected to show solidarity and reduce and shift their energy use. Rapidly rising energy prices threatened the economic survival of many households. Relying on a social practice–theoretical approach, our research empirically examines the experiences of households across Finland during the energy-crisis winter of 2022–2023. Based on focus-group and individual interview data with 82 participants, we examined how households engaged in time-shifting and reducing energy use. We ask what was done differently, whether new technologies were installed, and whether new meanings or competencies were developed. Our findings suggest that households engaged in activities: to reduce and shift energy use for their own economic benefit to avoid large energy bills; to influence their overall energy costs; to ensure the availability of energy to all; and to avoid power cuts (societal benefit) and make everyday life more sustainable (environmental benefit). Households engaged in a variety of practices to reduce and shift energy use, such as reducing indoor temperature, taking fewer hot showers, using electric saunas less often, using wood heating more, and washing dishes and doing laundry at night. We conceptualised demand flexibility as complexes and bundles of energy-related practices and their elements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103977"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143419015","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

A Place-based, Just Transition framework can guide industrial decarbonisation with a social licence

IF 6.9 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science

Pub Date : 2025-02-14 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103967

Huei-Ling Lai , Patrick Devine-Wright , Jo Hamilton , Sarah Mander , Diarmaid Clery , Imogen Rattle , Abigail Martin , Stacia Ryder , Peter Taylor

A growing policy focus in many economies is decarbonising energy-intensive industries such as steel, chemicals, and cement, responsible for a quarter of global CO₂ emissions. While policy discourses underscore the need for rapid, cost-effective industrial decarbonization, how to implement decarbonization in ways that are fair and just to workers and local communities and build a social licence to operate remains unclear. This perspective addresses a gap in guiding how governments and industries decarbonise by collaborating with affected communities and workers. We propose a Place-based, Just Transition framework that synthesises findings from four UK research projects and three under-connected research fields – Sense of Place, Just Transition, and Social Licence to Operate. The framework highlights seven themes: ongoing processes; place sensitivity; genuine community engagement; localised benefits and fairness; trust, credibility and legitimacy; multi-level governance; and trade-offs and tensions. Reflecting on our engagement with stakeholders in three UK industrial clusters, we identify four challenges impacting application of the framework: expectations, scope, resources, and leadership. We argue that negotiating these challenges and applying the framework can go beyond narrow technological and economic framings of industrial decarbonization and can guide place-sensitive and fair industrial decarbonisation with a social licence.

{"title":"A Place-based, Just Transition framework can guide industrial decarbonisation with a social licence","authors":"Huei-Ling Lai , Patrick Devine-Wright , Jo Hamilton , Sarah Mander , Diarmaid Clery , Imogen Rattle , Abigail Martin , Stacia Ryder , Peter Taylor","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103967","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103967","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A growing policy focus in many economies is decarbonising energy-intensive industries such as steel, chemicals, and cement, responsible for a quarter of global CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. While policy discourses underscore the need for rapid, cost-effective industrial decarbonization, how to implement decarbonization in ways that are fair and just to workers and local communities and build a social licence to operate remains unclear. This perspective addresses a gap in guiding how governments and industries decarbonise by collaborating with affected communities and workers. We propose a Place-based, Just Transition framework that synthesises findings from four UK research projects and three under-connected research fields – Sense of Place, Just Transition, and Social Licence to Operate. The framework highlights seven themes: ongoing processes; place sensitivity; genuine community engagement; localised benefits and fairness; trust, credibility and legitimacy; multi-level governance; and trade-offs and tensions. Reflecting on our engagement with stakeholders in three UK industrial clusters, we identify four challenges impacting application of the framework: expectations, scope, resources, and leadership. We argue that negotiating these challenges and applying the framework can go beyond narrow technological and economic framings of industrial decarbonization and can guide place-sensitive and fair industrial decarbonisation with a social licence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103967"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143403425","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

Catalysts for progress? Mapping policy insights from energy research

IF 6.9 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science

Pub Date : 2025-02-14 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103955

Brian Boyle , Yen-Chieh Liao , Sarah King , Robin Rauner , Stefan Müller

This article measures policy relevance in the abstracts of papers published between 2010 and 2023 in the top 100 journals covering energy research. Communicating the impact of research beyond academia is key to overcoming the evidence-policy divide. Yet, policy engagement is shaped by structural factors and poses unresolved dilemmas for researchers. Qualitative analyses of how research findings are presented in publications are inherently limited in scope, while simple search queries miss contributions that do not refer to ‘policy’ explicitly. Undertaking a large-scale bibliometric analysis, we use computational methods to evaluate over 270,000 abstracts by applying a carefully validated keyword-based dictionary approach. Overall, we find that 15 % of abstracts contain policy-relevant statements, with considerable differences among journals mentioning policy in their aims and scope. We also observe geographic variation by authorship and the funding agencies that sponsored research projects. Finally, we apply unsupervised topic models to identify distinct themes in policy-relevant abstracts. Our analysis reveals that the topics of renewable energy and implementation are most prevalent but have declined since 2010, while the focus on energy systems and emissions has gradually increased. These findings inform ongoing discussions about bridging the gap between research and policy impact in a field that will play a pivotal role in developing pathways to net zero.

{"title":"Catalysts for progress? Mapping policy insights from energy research","authors":"Brian Boyle , Yen-Chieh Liao , Sarah King , Robin Rauner , Stefan Müller","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103955","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103955","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article measures policy relevance in the abstracts of papers published between 2010 and 2023 in the top 100 journals covering energy research. Communicating the impact of research beyond academia is key to overcoming the evidence-policy divide. Yet, policy engagement is shaped by structural factors and poses unresolved dilemmas for researchers. Qualitative analyses of how research findings are presented in publications are inherently limited in scope, while simple search queries miss contributions that do not refer to ‘policy’ explicitly. Undertaking a large-scale bibliometric analysis, we use computational methods to evaluate over 270,000 abstracts by applying a carefully validated keyword-based dictionary approach. Overall, we find that 15 % of abstracts contain policy-relevant statements, with considerable differences among journals mentioning policy in their aims and scope. We also observe geographic variation by authorship and the funding agencies that sponsored research projects. Finally, we apply unsupervised topic models to identify distinct themes in policy-relevant abstracts. Our analysis reveals that the topics of renewable energy and implementation are most prevalent but have declined since 2010, while the focus on energy systems and emissions has gradually increased. These findings inform ongoing discussions about bridging the gap between research and policy impact in a field that will play a pivotal role in developing pathways to net zero.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103955"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143403426","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

Economic incentives or racial bias? Public opinion and racial inequities in power plant siting in the United States

IF 6.9 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science

Pub Date : 2025-02-13 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103980

Eric Scheuch

For decades, scholars have documented socioeconomic inequities in the siting of power plants. However, these observational studies cannot determine if inequality is a correlate or cause of power plant location. I evaluate one possible causal mechanism, public opinion, through an original survey experiment that is the first to evaluate the impact that community race and income have on attitudes about power plant siting and the first to evaluate drivers of public opinion towards power plants in communities other than their own. I show that voters hold strongNIMBY attitudes towards power plants, being 30 % more supportive of a plant's construction in communities other than their own. I also show that they form those attitudes based on economic factors (plant externalities, site suitability, and community income) rather than racial bias. By testing one possible causal mechanism underlying socioeconomic inequities, I advance the literature on environmental justice and climate politics, demonstrating how the public can reinforce socioeconomic inequities by following economic incentives rooted in discrimination without themselves holding discriminatory views.

{"title":"Economic incentives or racial bias? Public opinion and racial inequities in power plant siting in the United States","authors":"Eric Scheuch","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103980","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103980","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>For decades, scholars have documented socioeconomic inequities in the siting of power plants. However, these observational studies cannot determine if inequality is a correlate or cause of power plant location. I evaluate one possible causal mechanism, public opinion, through an original survey experiment that is the first to evaluate the impact that community race and income have on attitudes about power plant siting and the first to evaluate drivers of public opinion towards power plants in communities other than their own. I show that voters hold strongNIMBY attitudes towards power plants, being 30 % more supportive of a plant's construction in communities other than their own. I also show that they form those attitudes based on economic factors (plant externalities, site suitability, and community income) rather than racial bias. By testing one possible causal mechanism underlying socioeconomic inequities, I advance the literature on environmental justice and climate politics, demonstrating how the public can reinforce socioeconomic inequities by following economic incentives rooted in discrimination without themselves holding discriminatory views.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103980"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143395259","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

Barriers to Creating a Market for Hydrogen: Insights from Global Roadmaps and Stakeholders in the United States

IF 6.9 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science

Pub Date : 2025-02-12 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103947

Ioana Iacob, M. Granger Morgan, Sabrina Curtis

We analyze barriers to setting up a hydrogen market by using a PESTEL framework that examines political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal barriers. This framework is advantageous for analyzing macro-environmental factors to understand potential challenges and opportunities in creating such a market. Internationally, the framework was applied to analyzing barriers in 56 national hydrogen roadmaps, and domestically in the U.S. to semi-structured interviews with 43 stakeholders involved with hydrogen projects across the U.S. today. In the country-level international analysis, infrastructure development was the most identified barrier, with 43 countries including this factor. Infrastructure development included infrastructure for hydrogen storage, transportation, and distribution, and frequently alluded not only to the need for the infrastructure, but also the costs associated. The second most identified barrier was related to the need for market development - including but not limited to capital costs, economic competition, supply and demand matching, and first-mover reticence. For the domestic analysis, results from qualitative content analysis confirmed considerable variability across regions and stakeholder backgrounds. Particularly notable were divergent views about the importance of public understanding of and support for hydrogen projects, with industry respondents arguing this was not important and government and academic respondents considering it very important. The barriers seen as having the largest impact on deployment of hydrogen projects was a lack of regulatory clarity and lack of decision makers’ knowledge and awareness. Domestically, the most often introduced barriers were the need for the support of market demand, and the need to develop a hydrogen workforce.

{"title":"Barriers to Creating a Market for Hydrogen: Insights from Global Roadmaps and Stakeholders in the United States","authors":"Ioana Iacob, M. Granger Morgan, Sabrina Curtis","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103947","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103947","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We analyze barriers to setting up a hydrogen market by using a PESTEL framework that examines political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal barriers. This framework is advantageous for analyzing macro-environmental factors to understand potential challenges and opportunities in creating such a market. Internationally, the framework was applied to analyzing barriers in 56 national hydrogen roadmaps, and domestically in the U.S. to semi-structured interviews with 43 stakeholders involved with hydrogen projects across the U.S. today. In the country-level international analysis, infrastructure development was the most identified barrier, with 43 countries including this factor. Infrastructure development included infrastructure for hydrogen storage, transportation, and distribution, and frequently alluded not only to the need for the infrastructure, but also the costs associated. The second most identified barrier was related to the need for market development - including but not limited to capital costs, economic competition, supply and demand matching, and first-mover reticence. For the domestic analysis, results from qualitative content analysis confirmed considerable variability across regions and stakeholder backgrounds. Particularly notable were divergent views about the importance of public understanding of and support for hydrogen projects, with industry respondents arguing this was not important and government and academic respondents considering it very important. The barriers seen as having the largest impact on deployment of hydrogen projects was a lack of regulatory clarity and lack of decision makers’ knowledge and awareness. Domestically, the most often introduced barriers were the need for the support of market demand, and the need to develop a hydrogen workforce.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103947"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143387745","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

Spatial dynamics of low-carbon transitions: Peer effects and disadvantaged communities in solar energy, electric vehicle, and heat pump adoption in the United States

IF 6.9 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science

Pub Date : 2025-02-12 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103981

Yohan Min

The transition to clean energy technologies in residential homes is accelerating. Previous research highlights peer influence, driven by social interactions and visibility, as a key factor in adoption, primarily focusing on rooftop solar installations. However, much of this research has not considered the impact of built environment characteristics or other clean energy technologies. This study explores peer effects in the adoption of rooftop solar, electric vehicles (EVs), and heat pumps across urban, rural, and disadvantaged U.S. communities, hypothesizing that increased visibility, due to neighbor installations, enhances these effects. All technologies exhibit peak peer effects at distances of 150 to 250 m. Rooftop solar has the strongest peer effects, extending up to 700 m in urban areas and 2 km in rural areas. EVs and heat pumps exhibit weaker effects within 400 and 250 m in urban settings, respectively. Peer effects are more pronounced in less densely populated areas and during early stages of adoption. Disadvantaged communities, however, require additional support to overcome their weaker peer effects, especially for EV adoption in urban areas and rooftop solar in rural regions. These findings highlight the need for targeted strategies that leverage visibility and peer influence while addressing socioeconomic disparities.

{"title":"Spatial dynamics of low-carbon transitions: Peer effects and disadvantaged communities in solar energy, electric vehicle, and heat pump adoption in the United States","authors":"Yohan Min","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103981","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103981","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition to clean energy technologies in residential homes is accelerating. Previous research highlights peer influence, driven by social interactions and visibility, as a key factor in adoption, primarily focusing on rooftop solar installations. However, much of this research has not considered the impact of built environment characteristics or other clean energy technologies. This study explores peer effects in the adoption of rooftop solar, electric vehicles (EVs), and heat pumps across urban, rural, and disadvantaged U.S. communities, hypothesizing that increased visibility, due to neighbor installations, enhances these effects. All technologies exhibit peak peer effects at distances of 150 to 250 m. Rooftop solar has the strongest peer effects, extending up to 700 m in urban areas and 2 km in rural areas. EVs and heat pumps exhibit weaker effects within 400 and 250 m in urban settings, respectively. Peer effects are more pronounced in less densely populated areas and during early stages of adoption. Disadvantaged communities, however, require additional support to overcome their weaker peer effects, especially for EV adoption in urban areas and rooftop solar in rural regions. These findings highlight the need for targeted strategies that leverage visibility and peer influence while addressing socioeconomic disparities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103981"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143395258","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

Models like heroes? Making Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) ready for deep decarbonization and a socio-economic transformation

IF 6.9 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science

Pub Date : 2025-02-11 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103959

Felix Krawczyk, Andreas Ch. Braun

Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are among the most influential tools for global climate action. While IAM research contributed enormously to the current awareness of the climate crisis, their approach to transformation pathways has faced significant criticism. This critique illuminates that diverse aspects of social, political, and economic processes shape IAM research. This paper provides the first systematic literature review (based on the PRISMA approach) of the diverse criticisms that specifically target the political implications of IAM modeling practices. After reviewing a sample of 71 scientific publications extracted from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, we describe the various social science concepts utilized in the literature and argue that they reveal stabilizing functions performed by IAM modeling. These functions legitimize and rationalize the crisis-ridden societal conditions, if they are not actively addressed in the research process. To elucidate the modus operandi of these stabilizing functions, we introduce the concept of ideology as a mediator between existing societal conditions and the research practice, offering a novel framework to conceptualize the critique of IAM modeling practices. To illustrate how IAMs often fall short of their goal of presenting pathways out of the climate crisis, instead contributing to the stabilization of crisis-ridden societal conditions, and how to prevent this, we introduce an analogy to superheroes. Based on these findings, we suggest a participatory approach that includes the visions of social movements and systematic research on deep socio-economic transformations facilitated by the Categorical Utopia framework.

{"title":"Models like heroes? Making Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) ready for deep decarbonization and a socio-economic transformation","authors":"Felix Krawczyk, Andreas Ch. Braun","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103959","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103959","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are among the most influential tools for global climate action. While IAM research contributed enormously to the current awareness of the climate crisis, their approach to transformation pathways has faced significant criticism. This critique illuminates that diverse aspects of social, political, and economic processes shape IAM research. This paper provides the first systematic literature review (based on the PRISMA approach) of the diverse criticisms that specifically target the political implications of IAM modeling practices. After reviewing a sample of 71 scientific publications extracted from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, we describe the various social science concepts utilized in the literature and argue that they reveal stabilizing functions performed by IAM modeling. These functions legitimize and rationalize the crisis-ridden societal conditions, if they are not actively addressed in the research process. To elucidate the modus operandi of these stabilizing functions, we introduce the concept of ideology as a mediator between existing societal conditions and the research practice, offering a novel framework to conceptualize the critique of IAM modeling practices. To illustrate how IAMs often fall short of their goal of presenting pathways out of the climate crisis, instead contributing to the stabilization of crisis-ridden societal conditions, and how to prevent this, we introduce an analogy to superheroes. Based on these findings, we suggest a participatory approach that includes the visions of social movements and systematic research on deep socio-economic transformations facilitated by the Categorical Utopia framework.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103959"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143387056","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

Navigating the energy transition in South America: Regulatory challenges and trends in Chile’s evolving energy legal landscape

IF 6.9 2区经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Energy Research & Social Science

Pub Date : 2025-02-11 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103957

Fernanda Skewes , Óscar Guzmán , Julián Cortés , Marco Rivera

The Chilean electricity system is undergoing a profound transformation driven by climate goals and the imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This transition, characterized by significant state intervention and regulatory reforms, addresses the gaps left by market dynamics in achieving swift and comprehensive change. However, these changes bring challenges such as transitional risks and regulatory uncertainties that require the energy sector to integrate clean technologies while reshaping institutional frameworks. This article examines the regulatory challenges and trends in Chile’s energy law, focusing on four pivotal areas: the just energy transition, the right to energy, market regulation for the transition, and frameworks for emerging technologies. Through a thorough review of these dimensions, the paper highlights recent legal advances, regulatory innovations, and critical areas for reform. By offering a comprehensive analysis, it aims to illuminate how legal and regulatory tools can support Chile’s transition towards a sustainable and equitable energy system. This study contributes to the global discourse on the transition of energy by providing relevant insights for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders.

{"title":"Navigating the energy transition in South America: Regulatory challenges and trends in Chile’s evolving energy legal landscape","authors":"Fernanda Skewes , Óscar Guzmán , Julián Cortés , Marco Rivera","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103957","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.103957","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Chilean electricity system is undergoing a profound transformation driven by climate goals and the imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This transition, characterized by significant state intervention and regulatory reforms, addresses the gaps left by market dynamics in achieving swift and comprehensive change. However, these changes bring challenges such as transitional risks and regulatory uncertainties that require the energy sector to integrate clean technologies while reshaping institutional frameworks. This article examines the regulatory challenges and trends in Chile’s energy law, focusing on four pivotal areas: the just energy transition, the right to energy, market regulation for the transition, and frameworks for emerging technologies. Through a thorough review of these dimensions, the paper highlights recent legal advances, regulatory innovations, and critical areas for reform. By offering a comprehensive analysis, it aims to illuminate how legal and regulatory tools can support Chile’s transition towards a sustainable and equitable energy system. This study contributes to the global discourse on the transition of energy by providing relevant insights for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"121 ","pages":"Article 103957"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143387743","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