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Renewable Energy Technologies in Households

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2019) | Viewed by 12833

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Mikko Jalas

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Guest Editor

School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
Interests: sustainable consumption; urban lifestyles; renewable energy technologies; energy efficiency technologies in households; wind power; energy efficiency services and forest certification.

Prof. Jouni K Juntunen

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Guest Editor

School of Business, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
Interests: sustainable production and consumption; sustainable business; the development of sustainability innovations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ongoing energy transition is changing the organization of the production and consumption of energy. Households have taken an active role in installing and using new low carbon solutions and driven the system towards a more decentralized form. Renewable energy technologies (RET) multiply, diversify, and are increasingly available for households. Novel technologies mix with existing technologies and everyday practices. The technological change runs parallel to more sophisticated policy tools for active interventions. As a result, the forms of household engagement and the local configurations, of which renewable energy technologies are part of, are versatile, fragmented, and vary across time and place.

Prior research has put a major emphasis on the decision-making processes around RET. Yet, energy technologies depend not only on technical compatibility and rational decision-making processes. Engagements may be socially situated, pragmatic, corporeal, affective, aesthetic and/or ethical, and constitute new energy cultures and practices. They may also require local adaptation and innovation by users and come with the destabilization of existing norms and expectations of convenience and comfort. Moreover, RET and distributed production can empower individuals and communities.

Studies on energy technologies are using a widening set of theoretical resources. A proliferating range of transition studies has explicated the processes of diffusion of household energy technologies such as PV, solar heat, and heat pumps. Transition studies have also highlighted the role of professional intermediaries and peer-to-peer networks in the supply and marketization and adoption of household RET.

The aim of this Special Issue is to showcase new and ground-breaking work that examines RET and socio-technical change in households. We will publish a set of papers that make new theoretical and empirical contributions and deliver an agenda for future study by addressing a diverse set of issues that include, but are not limited to the following:

Patterns, key conditions, and obstacles for diffusion and uptake of renewable energy technology
Investments by households: significance of households, emergent models of financing RET
Compatibility with existing systems, organizations, institutions, or practices
Opportunities and further technology development for broader household engagement
Intermediary actors in the markets for renewable technologies for household use
Peer-to-peer effects
Socio-demographic variables in household engagement
Domestic energy cultures and practices
Energy justice and RET
Energy policies for further household engagement energy governance
Effective interventions for increased household engagement with renewable energy technologies

Prof. Mikko Jalas
Prof. Jouni K Juntunen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Household
Renewable technology
Energy cultures
Transitions
Intermediaries

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1707 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Not There Yet: Mapping Inhibitions to Solar Energy Utilisation by Households in African Informal Urban Neighbourhoods

by Aliyu Salisu Barau, Aliyu Haidar Abubakar and Abdul-Hakim Ibrahim Kiyawa

Sustainability 2020, 12(3), 840; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030840 - 22 Jan 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3220

Abstract

The average household access to electricity in Nigeria is estimated at four hours per day. This paradoxical energy crisis in a top oil and gas exporting country makes an interesting case for local and global players in the sustainable energy agenda. The current study showcases experiences of households that installed and use solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies in urban Africa. It identifies the key sociotechnical transition issues that shape the households’ solar energy adoption strategies. To get a clear picture of the situation, the study focuses on the Kano urban agglomeration—a densely populated city with high economic activities. To answer the research question, the sampled respondents shared their experiences via questionnaire and interviews. Similarly, field observations guided the research team to identify patterns of household solar energy use, and how urban planning, building, and roofing types inhibit solar energy utilisation. From the results of the study, it appeared that households use solar energy for lighting, energising rechargeable appliances, and cooling of houses. Nevertheless, none of the respondents use solar photovoltaics (PVs) for cooking—the biggest consumer of fuelwood in Nigeria. Finally, this study is optimistic that despite the challenges identified, the transition to clean energy security in Africa is achievable through coordinated efforts of people, industry, and governments. The transition to renewables by households promises significant changes that can lever the mainstreaming of the UN Sustainable Development Goals-SDG no. 7. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy Technologies in Households)

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16 pages, 740 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Platforms in Power: Householder Perspectives on the Social, Environmental and Economic Challenges of Energy Platforms

by Robin Smale and Sanneke Kloppenburg

Sustainability 2020, 12(2), 692; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020692 - 17 Jan 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3012

Abstract

New business models and digital infrastructures, in the form of ‘energy platforms’, are emerging as part of a transition towards decarbonised, decentralised, and digitised energy systems. These energy platforms offer new ways for householders to trade or exchange energy with other households or with energy system actors, but also bring along challenges. This paper examines how householders engage with potential environmental, social, and economic opportunities and risks of energy platforms. We convened two serious-game style workshops in which Dutch frontrunner householders assumed the role of platform members and were challenged to deliberate about different scenarios and issues. The workshop results, while explorative in nature, are indicative of a willingness to pursue energy system integration rather than autarky or grid defection. The idea of energy platforms as vehicles for energy justice appealed less to the householders, although the participants were moderately interested in sharing surplus renewable energy. Finally, environmental motivations were of key importance in householders’ evaluation of different platform types. This shows that in the role of energy platform members, householders can engage with both the community and the grid in new and different ways, leading to a diversity of possible outcomes for householder engagement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy Technologies in Households)

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22 pages, 1497 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Factors Influencing Social Perception of Residential Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Saudi Arabia

by Khalid Alrashoud and Koji Tokimatsu

Sustainability 2019, 11(19), 5259; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195259 - 25 Sep 2019

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6204

Abstract

Saudi Arabia has taken major steps to shift from an oil-centered to more environmentally-focused economy. One approach made recently is to enable households to possess and generate electricity by using small-scale residential solar photovoltaic systems (RSPSs). However, the number of applications to install this technology in residences is significantly low. Social acceptance of solar energy is essential for a successful energy transition. Hence, the present study aims to examine factors that may potentially motivate or impede individuals from purchasing RSPSs based on the diffusion of innovations theory. A cross-sectional, web-based survey is conducted including 1498 participants from the five main regions of Saudi Arabia. Results revealed a good cognition level in relation to solar energy, where the majority (64–83%) of respondents are aware of the benefits. An overwhelming proportion of the respondents (97%) associate RSPSs with a significantly positive image, with no significant variation in the acceptance or rejection rates among the five areas covered by the survey (p = 0.1). The results also show high statistical significance for the differences between RSPS acceptors and rejecters in all innovation attributes (p < 0.001). However, the perception of relative advantage has a higher correlation with acceptance RSPSs. These perceived advantages were of rather long-term nonfinancial benefits, such as environmental protection against global warming and provision of unlimited power, rather than the revenue related to direct costs benefits. The study also revealed that the installation cost was the most significant barrier to adopting the RSPS, which can be a focus for RSPS dissemination policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Energy Technologies in Households)

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