Realizing the smart grid: aligning consumer behaviour with technological opportunities

Reliable scenarios for consumer adoption and use of smart energy systems (SES) at the neighbourhoodlevel are essential to secure stability of the grid. The transition to SES is a radical and systemicinnovation that is expected to greatly increase heterogeneity in consumers‟ energy behaviour, whichresults in a need for micro-level models of consumer behaviour. The envisioned benefits of smart energysystems will only be realized if consumers (1) adopt smart energy technologies, and (2) use thesetechnologies in a way that is aligned with energy system reliability, efficiency, and sustainability. However, the energy behaviour of consumers has proven difficult to influence and is a major source ofuncertainty in the development of smart energy systems. This proposal therefore addresses thequestion: Which individual factors predict, explain, and influence consumer adoption and use of smartenergy technologies that will result in a reduction of uncertainty in smart energy systems? This proposal addresses this uncertainty using a novel approach that links the adoption of smart energytechnologies to the use of these technologies through the theoretical concept of environmental selfidentity.

Main project

This project is part of project "Spill-over of initial pro-environmental actions to other pro-environmental behaviours".

Researchers and partners

Behavioural and Social Sciences, Psychology

• A.M. (Annemijn) Peters, Social Psychology
• prof. dr. E.M. (Linda) Steg, Social Psychology
• dr. E. (Ellen) van der Werff, Social Psychology

Partners outside of the University of Groningen

• Mart van der Kam - Universiteit Utrecht
• Floor Alkemade - TU Eindhoven
• Marko Hekkert - Universiteit Utrecht
• Wilfried van Sark - Universiteit Utrecht

Results

Successful grant proposals and other achievements

• NWO’s programme URSES (uncertainty reduction in smart energy systems)

University's focus areas

• Energy
• Sustainable Society