Conceptualizing rural energy transitions: Energizing rural studies, ruralizing energy research

Naumann, Matthias; Rudolph, David

doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2019.12.011

Cited by 109 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 102 publications

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“…Poggi et al [122] argued that rural areas can specialize as an exporter of green energy to fuel urban areas. This is because rural areas provide the necessary resources and serve as sites for the production of renewable energy [123]. This energy is produced in a decentralized manner and requires a large area [124].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investments in Renewable Energy Sources in Basic Units of Local Government in Rural Areas

et al. 2021

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The main purpose of the study was to identify the level and factors influencing investments in renewable energy sources (RES) in basic local government units in rural areas. The specific objectives were to define the conditions for the development of renewable energy sources in Poland, to determine the directions of changes as well as the importance of renewable energy in Poland, to present the relationship between the level of expenditure on renewable energy and budget components in rural and rural-urban communes. The Świętokrzyskie voivodeship (Voivodship—a unit of the highest administration level in Poland, since 1990 a unit of the primary territorial division of government administration, since 1999 also a unit of local government, there were 16 voivodships in Poland.), which is one of the centrally located voivodeships in Poland, was purposefully selected for the research. The research period covered the years 2016–2019. The sources of materials were the literature on the subject, as well as empirical materials obtained at the Voivodeship Statistical Office. The following methods were used for the analysis and presentation of materials: descriptive, tabular, graphical, Gini concentration coefficient, Lorenz concentration curve, Kendall’s tau correlation coefficient and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Poland is one of the countries with quite high dependence on hard and brown coal. Changes in the structure of energy sources are slow. Investments in renewable energy are necessary. The problem in this respect is the lack of a proper law. Despite this, investments in renewable energy are being made in rural areas. In the Świętokrzyskie voivodeship, only 28% of communes made such investments. It was found that only in urban rural communes the amount of investment expenditures in renewable energy sources was related to the level of budget expenditures and property expenditures of the commune. The amount of support from the European Union aid funds was positively correlated with the level of expenditure on investments in renewable energy. Therefore, it can be concluded that without the support from EU funds, it is not possible to invest in renewable energy in local government units.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investments in Renewable Energy Sources in Basic Units of Local Government in Rural Areas

et al. 2021

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“…Furthermore, the exemplary scenario, representing a lowly populated residential area (Chapter 4), was used here mainly for reasons of simplicity and to demonstrate the general applicability of the framework. However, researchers recognize a large potential for the energy transition in such rural regions [86] (p. 58), which holds further need for research [87,88] (p. 103). Although the simulation framework presented here encourages us to experiment with various scenarios and system configurations, it easily neglects the complex processes that (must) precede such a what-if state.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling End-User Behavior and Behavioral Change in Smart Grids. An Application of the Model of Frame Selection

2020

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This paper presents an agent-based model (ABM) for residential end-users, which is part of a larger, interdisciplinary co-simulation framework that helps to investigate the performance of future power distribution grids (i.e., smart grid scenarios). Different modes of governance (strong, soft and self-organization) as well as end-users’ heterogeneous behavior represent key influential factors. Feedback was implemented as a measure to foster grid-beneficial behavior, which encompasses a range of monetary and non-monetary incentives (e.g., via social comparison). The model of frame selection (MFS) serves as theoretical background for modelling end-users’ decision-making. Additionally, we conducted an online survey to ground the end-user sub-model on empirical data. Despite these empirical and theoretical foundations, the model presented should be viewed as a conceptual framework, which requires further data collection. Using an example scenario, representing a lowly populated residential area (167 households) with a high share of photovoltaic systems (30%), different modes of governance were compared with regard to their suitability for improving system stability (measured in cumulated load). Both soft and strong control were able to decrease overall fluctuations as well as the mean cumulated load (by approx. 10%, based on weekly observation). However, we argue that soft control could be sufficient and more societally desirable.

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“…Long distances, sparse population, complex natural terrains, and lack of political will may pose significant challenges for grid expansion in these contexts. While issues of energy democracy and energy justice are particularly relevant in these areas, the exploration of energy solutions designed and appropriate for rural areas is limited [8]. Combining different renewable energy sources, such as solar, hydro, and wind, local demand for electricity can be satisfied with small-scale renewable energy technologies, providing a sustainable solution for the nearly 1 billion people living today without electricity [1] or being dependent on fossil-intensive solutions, such as diesel generators [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Rural Electrification: Harnessing a Cosmolocal Wind

et al. 2022

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In this article, we explore the sustainability potential of an alternative commons-based mode of production called cosmolocalism. Cosmolocal production combines global knowledge production with local physical production. Such a production mode has been applied across the globe for locally manufacturing small wind turbines (SWTs) for rural electrification. We assess the sustainability of such cosmolocal SWTs in a case study of electrifying a rural community in Ethiopia. In this context, the life cycles of five SWT alternatives have been compared, ranging from conventional industrially produced turbines to open-source locally manufactured and maintained ones. Our case study indicates that the local manufacturing and maintenance of SWTs offer significant advantages and may redeem small wind turbines as a sustainable component for rural electrification. Specifically, the fully cosmolocal alternative (A1) performs better than any other alternative in technical, environmental, and social criteria, while it is close to the best-performing alternative with regard to economic objectives. For this solution to be implemented, the institutional burden cannot be neglected, but can rather be considered a sine qua non condition for locally manufactured and maintained SWTs. A set of generic institutional interventions to create favourable conditions for cosmolocal production is proposed, which needs to be elaborated in a context-specific manner.

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Conceptualizing rural energy transitions: Energizing rural studies, ruralizing energy research

Cited by 109 publications

References 102 publications

Investments in Renewable Energy Sources in Basic Units of Local Government in Rural Areas

Investments in Renewable Energy Sources in Basic Units of Local Government in Rural Areas

Modelling End-User Behavior and Behavioral Change in Smart Grids. An Application of the Model of Frame Selection

Sustainable Rural Electrification: Harnessing a Cosmolocal Wind

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