Sustainable consumption in the smart grid: From key points to eco-routine

Abstract

The goal of radically increasing renewable energies pushes the current power grid to its limits. Smart technologies on the demand side are keys to cope with fluctuating inputs from distributed generation. At the same time, smart technologies are expected to enhance sustainable consumption by effectively reducing power consumption and its environmental impact. The number of applications is increasing along with more computation, communication, and intelligent capabilities. However, it is unclear how smart technologies resonate with lifestyles and consumption patterns to effectively achieve sustainable consumption. Utilizing the typology method, this paper aims in a first part at a description, an explanation and a framework of different types of sustainable consumption. In the second part, a systematic literature analysis of smart technologies for sustainable consumption is carried out. After analyzing seven current practical approaches, we describe four types of sustainable consumption. We apply the approaches via the housing field of consumption to the smart grid, highlighting the importance of technology adoption. The typology framework can be used for consumer communication, producer guidelines and policy practice.