More than wires and screens: Assumptions about agency of devices in smart energy projects

• Published in: Energy research & social science Vol. 114; p. 103592
• Main Authors: Farhangi, Mosen, Rohracher, Harald, Magnusson, Dick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-08-2024
• Subjects: Affordance; Design; Material participation; Review; Smart grids; Socio-technical systems; User engagement; Design; Affordance; Material participation; Socio-technical systems; Smart grids; Review; User engagement
• ISSN: 2214-6296; 2214-6326
• DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103592

Developing a low-carbon energy system requires far-reaching societal transformations, not least in energy-related practices and behaviour. Smart energy grids have recently gained attention among national governments as a potential solution for low-carbon energy transitions at the household level as they are assumed to empower energy consumers and make them an active part of a more balanced and sustainable energy system. The aim of this paper is to investigate the ways in which managers of such project interventions understand the sources of agency leading to a more sustainable energy use and whether these changes are rather driven by the design of devices or incentives, or by the broader socio-political context of user agency. These investigations are enriched by a comprehensive review of social science literature on smart energy grids. Interviews with technology and project developers of four smart energy grid projects in Sweden (READY, InteGrid, InterFlex, and FLEXICIENCY), and reviews of developer's reports and presentations were done to investigate how technology and project developers try to use devices as intermediaries to increase household participation in smart energy grid projects and change their energy-consuming practices. The result showed that developers primarily focus on the functionality of their devices and user interfaces. However, it also highlights that they often overlook the integration of these technologies within the broader socio-cultural and political contexts that critically influence technology adoption.