Energy Justice and Smart Grid Systems: Evidence from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom

Milchram, Christine; Hillerbrand, Rafaela; Kaa, Geerten van de; Doorn, Neelke; Künneke, Rolf W.

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.08.053

Cited by 69 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…In addition, interviews have been combined with other qualitative methods such as field observations and ethnography [64] and as part of participatory action research [65]. Discourses, perceptions, norms and values have also been studied in relation to understanding how people comprehend energy justice using discourse and content analysis [46,66,67]. Additional methods such as process tracing [45], historical political analysis [50], and deliberative dialogue approach [47] highlight how qualitative methods can offer new research approaches to engaging the social, political and economic dimensions of just transitions to a low carbon energy system.…”

Section: Reflections On Methods -Research Design and Case Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy justice in the transition to low carbon energy systems: Exploring key themes in interdisciplinary research

et al. 2019

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Section: Reflections On Methods -Research Design and Case Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy justice in the transition to low carbon energy systems: Exploring key themes in interdisciplinary research

et al. 2019

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“…While there has been a significant amount of research attention on energy justice considerations related to low-carbon transitions (McCauley et al, 2019), work explicitly considering the justice implications of flexibility specifically has still been somewhat limited given the scale of expectations in this area. Exceptions include work by Milchram et al (2018) on smart grids, which along with issues around transparency, privacy, security and control, also highlights the potential for distributive justice concerns resulting from the inability of consumers to shift demand to equal extents. Such subjects are also explored (although without an explicit justice frame) in work around distributional impacts of flexibilityrelated product offerings such as time of use tariffs (Cambridge Economic Policy Associates Ltd, 2017; Hledik et al, 2017;Nicholls and Strengers, 2015;Yunusov et al, 2018).…”

Section: Flexibility Justicementioning

confidence: 99%

Flexibility capital and flexibility justice in smart energy systems

Powells

Fell

2019

Energy Research & Social Science

114

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Flexibility has increasing value across sectors of the economy, including energy. The ability to be flexible is affected by a wide variety of sociotechnical factors and determines what we term 'flexibility capital'. Levels of flexibility capital vary in populations, both absolutely and in the extent to which they are primarily derived from technological or social means, which has implications for the (dis)comfort and (in)convenience involved in economising flexibility capital. Furthermore, we argue that freedom of choice over whether and how to economise flexibility capital can be limited by factors such as financial resources, among others. In constrained systems (such as energy networks), the level of service enjoyed by the more affluent may not simply be higher than those who are less affluent, but may be directly enabled by reductions in the latter's comfort and/or convenience which may not feel fully voluntary. There is a real risk that such injustices could be locked into energy infrastructure and market design and governance for the long term as has already happened in labour markets. We introduce the concept of 'flexibility justice' as a frame for these issues of fairness. While the concepts we offer in the paper emerge from longstanding engagements with energy research contexts and they relate directly to the issues currently being debated in the energy research and policy communities, we contend that they can be related to a much broader range of issues in 21st century economies.

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“…However, such transitions have given rise to more complex governmentutility-consumer relationships as evidence from eld deployments in various jurisdictions have shown [53][54][55]. Milchram et al [53] found that investigated the proposition for smart grid systems in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in relations to concerns that affect social and moral values such as privacy and justice, they found that smart grids have the potential to effectively address justice issues, for example through the facilitation of small-scale electricity generation and transparent and reliable billing. However, they also found that while the current smart grid designs contribute to cost and energy savings, advance a more equitable and democratic energy system, they may also reinforce distributive and procedural injustices.…”

Section: Smart Grid Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digitalisation of Energy Systems within the Context of Existing Policy Frameworks: An Assessment of Sustainable Energy Transitions in Africa

Nwaiwu

2021

Preprint

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BackgroundDigital technologies have unique characteristics for achieving radically disruptive transitions within the energy sector. They provide opportunities for new production and consumption models between micro producers and consumers of electricity within communities in a way that transforms the traditional energy generation and consumption model. The study critically assessed the digitalisation of energy systems in Africa within the context of existing policy frameworks in the quest to achieve sustainable energy transitions in Africa. It investigated how digital technologies such as blockchain, digital platforms and smart grids were adopted and implemented within the energy sector in achieving new energy production and consumption models that are both environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive, this assessment was done within the context of existing policy and regulatory frameworks of the society where the use cases were domiciled. MethodsThe research adopted a qualitative methodological approach which was done in three stages - a document analysis that reviewed relevant literature on the energy sector and policies within the sector for Nigeria and South Africa; the next step involved a comparative case study is conducted to assess the characteristics of how digital technologies was deployed in mediating sustainable energy transitions; finally, the outcomes of the comparative case studies was then situated within the context of existing policies within the countries covered by the study ResultsResults from the research indicate that Africa is still in the early stages of adoption and application of digital technologies such as blockchain and smart grids within the energy sector, the results also showed the disconnect between policy environment and industry efforts in achieving digital technologies mediated sustainable energy transitions in Africa. The current applications as exemplified in the use cases by the three companies covered in this study indicates that Africa's sustainable energy transitions is in a rudimentary or early adoption stage, and they are not currently aided by the policy environments in which such projects are domiciled.ConclusionsThe research provides deep insights into the current state and developments within the energy sector especially in relations to how digital technologies are being adopted and implemented in solving the energy poverty prevalent across sub-Saharan Africa.

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Energy Justice and Smart Grid Systems: Evidence from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom

Cited by 69 publications

References 61 publications

Energy justice in the transition to low carbon energy systems: Exploring key themes in interdisciplinary research

Energy justice in the transition to low carbon energy systems: Exploring key themes in interdisciplinary research

Flexibility capital and flexibility justice in smart energy systems

Digitalisation of Energy Systems within the Context of Existing Policy Frameworks: An Assessment of Sustainable Energy Transitions in Africa

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