Abstract
Smart grids are a key feature of future energy scenarios, with the overarching goal of better aligning energy generation and demand. The work presented here considers the role of the user in such systems, and the contexts in which such roles might emerge. The data used is drawn from focus groups with 72 participants, using novel scenario techniques to contextualise smart grid technologies in domestic settings. Two contrasting visions of the smart grid are presented, a centralised system based on current institutional arrangements, and an alternative system in which decentralisation of generation and control is pursued. Using the concepts of ‘energy consumer’ and ‘energy citizen’, the paper considers what forms of engagement are likely to be generated by the two visions. We propose that smart grid designs must look beyond simply 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. We conclude that the energy citizen holds out most promise in this regard. The implications of this for policy makers are discussed.
Highlights
Sci. 2021, 22, 6134 a wide range of application fields, including biomedicine, especially in relation to the progress achieved in the production of new types of ionomers
Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was performed in an Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) by a Nicolet 6700 (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) equipped with a Golden Gate ATR accessory, at a resolution of 2 cm−1 and co-adding 100 scans
The polyurethane disks were immersed in water and, at increasing times, disks were removed from water and weighed, after removal of the excess of solvent using filter Paper
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Ionic groups can modulate PU’s ability to conjugate proteins, drugs or biologically active substances They can act as ligands for metal ions to obtain inorganic−organic hybrid coordination polymers with defined structures, which are gaining a growing attention in different application fields including biomedicine [16,17,18,19]. Within a framework of broadening this platform of polymers, several PU anionomers with different diisocyanates (aliphatic and aromatic) and two monomers’ molar ratios (2:1:1 and 3:2:1 diisocyanate:ionic monomer:polyol) were synthesized to investigate the effect of variable hard phase and ionic group content on PU hard/soft phase segregation and physical properties. The obtained metal coordinated polymers were characterized in terms of their ability to inhibit the growth of two relevant clinical Pathogens, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
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