Energy, Sustainability and Society最新文献

Background

Previous research has highlighted the crucial role of engaging individuals in energy transitions. In particular, a research stream on climate change communication highlights the potential of interpersonal change conversations in effectively engaging individuals. At the same time, knowledge on the most effective communication in these conversations from change agents and how it shapes individuals’ engagement in the context of energy transitions is comparatively lacking. To address this gap, the present study examines the potential of an empathic-collaborative communication approach based on Motivational Interviewing (MI) in fostering individuals’ personal engagement with transition pathways during one-on-one change conversations about electrical field cultivation as an unfamiliar energy transition pathway in the agricultural sector.

Methods

We tested our assumptions combining multiple data sources including a pre–post questionnaire on different dimensions of engagement and behavioral interaction coding of change conversations to provide comprehensive insights.

Results

The results support a universal effect of exploring the investigated transition pathway through conversations, independent of the communication style, fostering affective-cognitive engagement (interest in the agricultural sector). At the same time, a communication approach based on MI adds value by improving individuals’ change in attitudes (benefit perception of transition pathway). This supports the effectiveness of verbalized personal engagement as a crucial element of motivational interviewing, resulting in heightened cognitive engagement. Lastly, the results suggest that the MI-based communication methods used by change agents stimulate beneficial change talk from conversation partners about the futuristic energy transition pathway.

Conclusions

This study provides implications for the benefits of employing change conversations and specifically an empathic-collaborative communication approach used in these conversations in targeting individual’s engagement in the political setting and energy context, and discusses potential future research avenues. Even brief interventions in change agents’ communication style to changes in the wake of future pathways are fruitful and should be applied across diverse practical settings.

The transformation of mobility and transport infrastructure is emerging as one of the defining societal challenges of the twenty-first century. This editorial introduces the Special Issue on “Sustainable Mobility Transitions: (New) Pathways of Future Energy Systems” from a social science perspective, bringing together interdisciplinary insights on the political, institutional, and communicative dimensions of transport transition. Drawing on case studies from Germany and international contexts, the contributions of this Special Issue critically examine how governance structures—particularly parliamentary oversight and public participation—shape infrastructure planning and mobility policy. The discussion situates transport behavior within broader socio-technical systems and highlights the entrenched dominance of automobility, spatial legacies of car-centered urban planning, and the habitual routines that sustain private car use. At the same time, we identify new pathways for transformation, including innovations in sustainable and multimodal transport, participatory governance tools, and experimental urban interventions. The authors argue that overcoming the inertia of automobility requires not only technological and legal reforms but also compelling narratives, inclusive planning processes, and adaptive regulatory frameworks. In conclusion, the editorial underscores the importance for a renewed commitment to democratic legitimacy, institutional learning, and spatial justice in the governance of mobility and transport infrastructure.

Background

The transition to sustainable energy systems requires a deeper understanding of how households experience and negotiate heating practices over time. In Sweden, where residential heating remains a major source of energy use, heating systems are embedded in daily routines, shaped by evolving technologies, social norms, and material contexts. This study draws on the Energy Cultures Framework and oral history interviews to examine how Swedish households recall and reflect on their “heating careers”, tracing changes in infrastructures, behaviours, and meanings across the life course.

Results

The findings disclose a transition from manual, labour-intensive systems to automated and centralised heating solutions, alongside shifts in comfort expectations and user engagement. Narratives highlight how certain practices have persisted, been abandoned, or re-emerged, particularly during moments of disruption such as the 2022 energy crisis. While automated systems offer convenience, they can also reduce energy awareness and user agency. Financial constraints, warm rent arrangements, and housing conditions further shape how households engage with heating transitions, revealing inequalities in the capacity to act.

Conclusions

Understanding home heating as a socio-technical and emotionally embedded practice is crucial for designing inclusive energy transitions. This study shows how identity, habit, memory, and structural conditions shape household heating cultures over time. Oral histories offer valuable insight into how people adapt to and resist change, emphasising the need for policies that acknowledge diverse experiences, promote energy literacy, and address the socio-material inequalities that influence participation in heating transitions.

Background

Urbanization is progressing rapidly, with over 65% of the world’s population projected to live in urban areas by 2050. This population shift is expected to lead to several environmental and social challenges. As a result, many urban development projects are being implemented with accompanying mobility concepts. However, there is limited knowledge regarding mobility services that meet the residents’ needs. This understanding is essential for advancing new mobility concepts in urban areas that consider the respective socioecological context. Therefore, this paper is dedicated to exploring and exemplifying the mobility behaviors and personas prevalent in nascent urban areas.

Results

For this purpose, a quantitative survey was carried out (n = 376) to measure mobility behavior and 11 specific mobility needs in three nascent urban quarters in Germany and Austria. The highest-rated mobility needs across quarters were reliability, convenience, and safety. In contrast, the least important mobility needs were orientation, social recognition, and entertainment. A cluster analysis of mobility needs and behaviors (using Ward’s method and k-means) suggests the prevalence of five mobility personas. While the personas differed by demographics and mobility behavior, they were similarly distributed across quarters.

Conclusions

In summary, this article highlights which mobility needs should be addressed and proposes strategies for targeting individual mobility personas. Overall, mobility concepts should prioritize reliable, shared transportation, as many individuals continue to rely on car ownership due to a lack of reliable alternatives. Therefore, the findings help facilitate the transition to more sustainable and socially acceptable forms of mobility in urban areas.

Background

Measuring the evolution of countries in various related dimensions is essential for the evaluation of progress and compliance with the set of sustainable development goals. However, the main dilemma lies in how to achieve rapid progress towards sustainability without compromising national and regional stability, equity, or economic viability. The main objective of this paper is to propose a new country classification guide to assess whether the framework can also be used by authorities worldwide to provide a more detailed perspective of the current situation, thereby enabling the detection of problems, the setting of objectives, a better understanding of the results, and the identification of optimal policy actions.

Results

The data analysed are from the period 2004–2018 for 30 European countries, and 13 used variables are grouped into three dimensions: economic structure, energy supply policy, and energy consumption. Cluster analysis is carried out in two steps. In the first step, a time-series cluster analysis is performed for each of the three typologies of variables using Dynamic Time Warping and Complete Linkage algorithm. Each country is subsequently assigned a qualitative three-dimensional vector that indicates cluster membership for each typology. This vector is used as input, and the Lin distance and Ward algorithm are applied to group the countries in the final step. Nine final clusters are obtained. Despite the difference in the number of clusters at each dimension, certain geographical and cultural homogeneity can be found.

Conclusions

The diversity of energy and environmental performance among European countries underlines the need for concrete policies that integrate the specific socioeconomic, energy and environmental contexts of each country. Strategies implemented so far have proven insufficient to address disparities in economic development, energy dependence and renewable energy uptake, and tailored approaches are essential. These insights provide policy makers with a sound basis for designing informed strategies that balance progress towards sustainability. The implementation of adapted policies can accelerate the energy transition, optimise resources and strengthen lagging regions, fostering a more cohesive and uniform European energy strategy. Future research could apply this methodology to other regions or thematic areas, extending variables and territories to generate global rankings and further explore sustainability challenges.

Background

Energy communities (ECs) hold out the promise of cleaner and more flexible energy systems through self-generation, demand response, and storage. Digital mediation plays a pivotal role within the EC ecosystem, which is a set of autonomous organizations coordinating and engaging in joint value creation activities by facilitating energy generation and consumption, coordination, and information and knowledge sharing. Although the extant literature has stressed the potential role of digitalization in empowering ECs and citizens, there remains a lack of comprehensive empirical studies and theorization on how ECs can benefit from digital mediation and develop a digitally mediated EC ecosystem. Thus, this research explores the current benefits of digitalization for ECs, and how the ecology of actors envisions the role of digital mediation in scaling and strengthening the EC ecosystem.

Results

Based on 22 interviews with EC representatives and the ecology of actors (i.e., stakeholders in the ecosystem) in Finland, our results underscore that digital mediation supports ECs in monitoring and controlling their operations and in addressing demand response and trading through data retrieval, exchange, and optimization, so contributing to better decision-making. The existing ecology of actors envisions a developed digitally mediated EC ecosystem that can enable the sharing of experiences, peer-to-peer support in planning phases, and the operations of communities.

Conclusions

This study contributes to the prior research by identifying the benefits of digital mediation within the ecology of actors. The findings of the study demonstrate that the early stages of EC ecosystems are characterized by a loosely connected ecology of actors, rather than a fully developed EC ecosystem. In doing so, this research highlights the crucial role of platformization in the EC context. EC managers should explore and develop mechanisms to observe the emergence of EC ecosystems, lead the responsibilities for coordination, and determine their community’s objectives and business model, utilizing digital platforms to evaluate prospects. Governments should consider providing incentives and implementing a favorable regulatory framework to encourage new actors. They can be at the forefront in developing digital platforms and collectively defining a shared vision of digital transformation for ECs.

Background

During COP26, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced that the country aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. However, experts are concerned that this ambitious pledge lacks a credible long-term emission reduction analysis and strategy, given Nigeria's reliance on oil. Nigeria's Nationally Determined Contribution indicates that more than half of the country's potential for reducing carbon emissions lies in the power sector. However, the installed capacity is inadequate, with 85% of grid-connected power plants and over 90% of off-grid power based on fossil fuels. In this article, the role of Nigeria's power sector in achieving the country's net-zero vision is investigated.

Main text

A systematic review of the literature on the decarbonization of the Nigerian power sector is conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) framework. Articles from credible peer-reviewed and grey literature databases published between 2010 and 2021 were analyzed. Based on the PRISMA methodology, 17 articles were retained for literature synthesis. The literature reviewed was classified into the following categories: energy generation and emission contributions, future emissions and reduction scenarios, drivers of emissions, emission reduction options, the economics of emissions reduction options, and policy.

Conclusions

From this review can be seen that 88% of the decarbonization literature consisted of scenario studies that included emission reductions, 6% were scenario studies that did not include policy interventions and 6% were non-scenario studies. 31% and 69% of the studies focused on medium- and long-term emission reductions, respectively. The study also showed that fossil fuels, GDP, inefficient power generation technologies, inefficient end-use technologies, transmission and distribution losses, poor renewable energy financing, increasing energy demand, and policies which are not based on scientific evidence are the drivers of emissions. Despite the government's commitment to providing good access to energy for its citizens and reducing its emissions footprint, power generation in Nigeria is still poor, with an installed capacity of less than 14GW. In addition, more than 85% of the country's power generation capacity is based on fossil fuels. Having made a public commitment to achieve net zero, Nigeria's next step is to explore the different scenarios that will help the country achieve its ambitious long-term goal without compromising its socio-economic development.

Background

The transition to renewable energy is essential for addressing climate change and fostering sustainable communities. This involves planning and determining where, when, and how to deploy renewable energy technologies. This requires supportive policies and regulations to accommodate renewable energy sources and manage impact, as well as engagement with local communities and stakeholders to secure their support and participation in the transition process.

Methods

This study evaluates the impact of governance at various levels—community, county, and state—on renewable energy adoption in 87 small- to mid-sized U.S. communities with populations below 100,000. Using a multi-faceted analytical approach, this research reviews comprehensive climate action and sustainable plans to identify key drivers of renewable energy transitions. This study explores whether local government plans and multi-level governance efforts enhance renewable energy adoption in these communities. By examining the integrated policy approach, this research explores the interplay between governance levels and their collective impact on renewable energy consumption through regression and comprehensive content analysis.

Results

Content analysis of 134 reviewed community, county, and state plans revealed that local governments adopt renewable energy targets in their local plans less frequently than state and county governments do. Among the 87 communities studied, 63% implemented limited renewable energy consumption, with percentages ranging from 5 to 30%. In contrast, only four communities (5%) achieved full renewable energy dominance with 100% renewable energy consumption. Regression analysis identified four significant factors influencing renewable energy consumption percentages: building energy efficiency measures at the community level, sustainable land use promotion at the county level, renewable energy targets, and sustainable land use frameworks at the state level.

Conclusions

This study underscores the significance of a multi-level governance approach in facilitating local energy transitions, noting that successful implementation relies on efforts from local governments. It stresses the need for integrated policy frameworks that synchronize state, county, and local actions to develop supportive policies and regulations for effective land use planning, energy efficiency measures, and community engagement to achieve renewable energy targets more effectively.

Background

Improving energy efficiency on a global scale is crucial to meet climate targets of the Paris Agreement and the UN sustainable development goal on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Energy efficiency is considered the first fuel in the clean energy transition. Contextualising this narrative, the energy efficiency first principle (EE1) was introduced as a concept in EU climate policy in 2015. EE1 was made legally binding in the EU in 2023, to be applied in policy, planning and investment decisions across all sectors that affect the energy system. Understanding the process through which new legislation is developed and adopted is important for understanding the policy itself. Understanding the policy process of EE1 is particularly important since it introduces a paradigm shift in EU energy and climate policy and provides better knowledge of transformative policy change which is of general importance for policy and governance towards a clean energy transition.

Results

This paper determines the decade-long policy process and the agency of policy entrepreneurs to make EE1 legally binding. Based on qualitative text analysis of policy documents, position papers and reports from EU negotiations, combined with interviews of key actors, the study shows how non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as the European Commission were critical policy entrepreneurs in the process. NGOs considered the unequal treatment of energy supply and energy demand in EU energy policy to hamper efficient use of the energy system and suggested the EE1 principle to overcome this problem. Using linking strategies, relational management strategies, arena strategies, etc., NGOs persuaded the European Commission to propose legislation on EE1. But the initial framing was too technical for decision-makers to understand. Successful coupling of the problem–policy package to politics was done when problem-framing was revised, also referring to the Paris Agreement on climate change and the energy crisis in Europe following Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Conclusions

It is clear that coalition-building is important for policy entrepreneurs to gain broad acceptance for their policy proposals. In addition, timing and endurance of policy entrepreneurs is of great importance for coupling a problem–policy package to politics. Political decision-makers must be receptive to the problem and its policy solution. As for EE1, it took almost 7 years before the politics stream was mature and receptive to the policy. But as identified, the agency of policy entrepreneurs can conceal the relations between informal and formal decision-making powers and thus reduce accountability, legitimacy and justice in policymaking.

Background

In many countries, essential infrastructures, like power systems, are often taken for granted and thus invisible to ordinary people. However, because of energy transitions and climate impacts, the power system in countries such as Sweden is changing. For example, due to variable renewable power sources and increasing demand there is a potential need to deal with changing conditions, including disruptions at an end-use level, which makes the energy system come to the foreground. As argued in the paper, deeper knowledge about people’s understanding of a changing energy system is needed to support households in taking on new roles. The aim of this study was to explore energy resilience from a household perspective by investigating how households make sense of possible future power deficit scenarios. The concept of household energy resilience was used as a lens. Twelve interviews were conducted with people from seven households participating in a trial with remote-controlled heat pumps. The participating households all lived in detached houses in Sweden. 

Results

The findings illustrate how the households relate to energy resilience through diverse approaches. More specifically, they anticipate the need to become resilient while questioning the idea that they should have to become resilient, and negotiate resilience as a shared responsibility between the different stakeholders of the grid. These insights reveal conditions under which households anticipate taking more active roles in a changing energy system. However, the insights also show that other energy actors need to communicate clearly which responsibilities they are taking on to support households and the energy transition overall. Households cannot be expected to embrace household energy resilience without reciprocity and other actors’ taking on responsibility.

Conclusions

Our results show that there is potential for more active and engaged electricity end-users, beyond, for example, flexibility programs. However, households’ active participation, including becoming more energy resilient, is conditional on challenges of value, involvement, and reciprocity. The results will be of interest to professionals involved in electricity supply-related matters including suppliers, policymakers, and researchers.