Hall, S and Foxon, TJ (2014) Values in the Smart Grid: The co-evolving political economy of smart distribution. Energy Policy, 74. 600 - 609. ISSN 0301-4215
Abstract
Investing in smart grid infrastructure is a key enabler for the transition to low carbon energy systems. Recent work has characterised the costs and benefits of individual "smart" investments. The political economy of the UK electricity system, however, has co-evolved such that there is a mismatch between where benefits accrue and where costs are incurred, leading to a problem of value capture and redeployment. Further, some benefits of smart grids are less easy to price directly and can be classified as public goods, such as energy security and decarbonisation. This paper builds on systemic treatments of energy system transitions to characterise the co-evolution of value capture and structural incentives in the electricity distribution system, drawing on semi-structured interviews and focus groups undertaken with smart grid stakeholders in the UK. This leads to an identification of municipal scale values that may be important for business models for the delivery of smart infrastructure. Municipalities may thus pursue specific economic opportunities through smart grid investment. This supports recent practical interest in an expanded role for municipalities as partners and investors in smart grid infrastructures.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). |
Keywords: | Co-evolution; Political economy; Smart Grids |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 23 Jan 2015 13:10 |
Last Modified: | 22 Oct 2019 14:33 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.08.018 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier Ltd |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.enpol.2014.08.018 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:82659 |
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