Signalling green power: shaping electricity use Patrick Devine-Wright, Phil Taylor and YS Lim Presentation to the IAPS Conference July 7 th 2004 Institute Of Energy And Sustainable Development

Summary Electricity loads: feedback devices to signal behaviour (e.g. Becker and Seligman, 1978) plus automated devices to match demand and supply The E-Connect/DTI study: Findhorn Foundation community (1962), managing demand for intermittent local renewable electricity supply Two stage design: feasibility and evaluation Institute Of Energy And Sustainable Development

Research Aims To develop, test and evaluate innovative technical devices for local load management Voluntary: ‘traffic-lights’ signalling ‘green’/’red’ power supply Automated: enabling/disabling power systems Both kinds in continual wireless communication with local wind turbine (75kW/15-20%; plans for 660kW) and private-wire mini-grid Local utility owned by the community supplying all site users, including commercial businesses Institute Of Energy And Sustainable Development

Methodology Website and publications Site visit and walk-through Focus group discussion with key stakeholders 14 face-to-face, in-depth interviews with a representative sample of the local community 6 female; 8 male. Average age 47 years ( yrs). 8 UK nationals. Living in and outside; typically low income (e.g. £4k p/a) Interview data content analysed for significant themes Institute Of Energy And Sustainable Development

Results Social and personal norms (e.g. community sustainability; attitudes to renewables and technology) Willingness to change habitual behaviours Personal and contextual circumstances (e.g. busy lifestyles; non-domestic activities) Expectations (e.g. concerns about personal control, (in)convenience v.s. environmental benefit) Device beliefs (e.g. risk, complexity/ease of use, trialability) Institute Of Energy And Sustainable Development

Norms and values Environmentally aware, concerned and committed to local renewable energy generation and supply BUT tensions between environmentalism and low incomes “…I would like it (RE supply) to go up but I would rather that didn't have a huge impact on my electricity bills. …it’s about balancing principles and reality - saving the earth and saving the bank balance.” Institute Of Energy And Sustainable Development

Signalling electricity use ‘What if’ thinking 1.Adjusting daily routines and habits “…if you're an aware person you might notice that the wind turbine's turning and say right OK this is a day to use the washing machine.” “I expect …if I saw a red light I would go 'whoa'. I would think 'well, do I really need to do it…?” Institute Of Energy And Sustainable Development

Expectations 2. Expectations: would the lights go out? 3. Hassle: behaviour flexibility vs. sharing of appliances 4. Control, complexity and risk: “…I would need to understand it well enough to not get frustrated.” “I would prefer systems which still leave choice, it's important that you don't remove choices totally, by deciding everything for some system because things can go wrong…” “…at the moment I would be sceptical that it would work. It’s adding an extra element of complexity to the building or to the systems that are in the building – something extra that could go wrong. It just seems to be something that could be difficult to successfully manage.” Institute Of Energy And Sustainable Development

Device beliefs Control and occupant co-management: “There would need to be a way for me of knowing whether it had worked or not…I wouldn't easily be able to tell ….. so I would need to put something on which says ‘O good I'll have lots of water” Trialability and compatibility: “I would like to hear more about them. I would like to see them and see if it fits. But I would make an effort to make it fit and to support that experiment because it is one of those things that would lower our ecological footprint” Scepticism about potential for non-domestic loads: inflexible electricity use in kitchen, shop, bakery and pottery studio Institute Of Energy And Sustainable Development

Community norm: pro-innovation Community norm: pro-sustainable development & technical innovation Individual attitude: pro- renewable energy Individual attitude: pro- local management of electricity supply Perceptions of electricity load management Concerns about complexity, cost, risk and trial-ability Concerns about personal control, interference and inconvenience Schematic diagram indicating factors shaping perceptions of load management devices Personal and contextual circumstances: lifestyle, other household occupants; type of dwelling or workplace etc.

Thank you Full report available! Institute Of Energy And Sustainable Development