Abstract
The socio-technological transition towards smart grids is an on-going process requiring adaptive behaviour by consumers. It is commonly assumed that consumer’s attitudes and behaviours need to be modified to secure a sustainable energy future. This paper aims at exploring the influence of energy behaviours on smart grid processes, by contributing to the characterisation and systematisation of energy behaviours for specific segment of Croatian residential sector and proposing an integrative focus group methodology. Results show that participants have a positive predisposition towards smart technologies and home demand-side-management, but are less likely to accept automation system controlled by a supplier. We propose that smart grid designs must look beyond only the technology and recognise that a smart user who is actively engaged with energy is critical to much of what is proposed by demand-side-management. In the future, new innovative business models should be developed to explore different options to involve consumers to become smart users.
Highlights
The term “smart grid” generally refers to the larger grid that integrates microgrids
This study explores current and potential energy behavioural adaptions in Croatia during the smart grid transition period
The central research questions are: What is the current involvement of Croatian consumers in energy consumption? What are relevant factors for adopting further behavioural adoption in Croatia? What are the preferences towards the different levels of engagement in smart grid environment? The aim of the research is to make a useful contribution to help utilities, policy makers and other various stakeholders involved in smart grid transition process
Summary
The term “smart grid” generally refers to the larger grid that integrates microgrids. Microgrids enable the production and storage of renewable energy, as well as the exchange of electricity, between energy providers and consumers, to take place locally. Consumers are small-scale co-providers of energy reducing their dependence on the public grid. The social acceptance has to be ensured, providing them with an option to be more self-sufficient by becoming co-producers of electricity and forming their demand in the household. The residential sector is the major contributor to the global energy balance, so efficient demand management mechanisms are promising technique and proactive method to make users energy-efficient in the long term. The attitudes and behaviours of energy consumers need to be modified, taking account of physical, social, cultural and institutional context, that shape and constrain people’s choices [1,2]
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