PERSON network highlights the need for an integrated SSH perspective on energy at ERSS conference

On April 4^th 2017, the European Platform for Energy Research in the Socio-economic Nexus (PERSON) hosted a morning session during the 1^st International Conference on Energy Research & Social Science (1^st ERSS) in Sitges, Spain. PERSON demonstrated the importance of integrating insights from different SSH disciplines into energy research.

The 1st international conference on Energy Research & Social Science took place from 2-5 April 2017. The event aims to examine the relationship between energy systems and society. The European Platform for Energy Research in the Socio-economic Nexus (PERSON) was invited to host a panel on April 4, as the aim of PERSON fits perfectly with the goals of the conference. PERSON aims to unite and advise European top-class socio-economic energy research on the human dimensions of a sustainable energy transition to promote a secure, clean and efficient energy system. In a well-attended panel session, PERSON-members from different disciplines and universities demonstrated how SSH research can encourage a sustainable energy transition .

Linda Steg (University of Groningen) introduced the PERSON platform, and stressed why SSH needs to play an important role in understanding how to realise a sustainable energy transition. Next, Geertje Schuitema (University College Dublin & N. Sintov, University of Southern California) presented a paper on the challenges of conduction interdisciplinary research, and presented suggestions to strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations that were recognized by the audience. This was followed by two presentations highlighting the contributions of specific SSH disciplines to study energy issues: geography (by Patrick Devine Wright, University of Exeter) and philosophy/ethics (Marcus Düwell, University of Utrecht). In doing so, they underlined why it is important to integrate these insights in a broader SSH perspective, and how to do this. The final two presentations provided showcases of specific SSH research aimed to speed up the sustainable energy transition. Sabine Pahl (University of Plymouth) presented results of an interdisciplinary project on thermal imagining as a tool to promote energy conservation. Christian Klöckner (Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology) discussed results of a study aimed to identify barriers and enablers for upgrading energy standards of private homes.

A lively discussing by a highly engaged audience followed each presentation. The session gave the audience a great overview of the ambition of PERSON, as well as specific insights on the importance of SSH research to realise a sustainable energy research.