The Active Energy Citizen:User Innovation, Prosumption and New Energy Communities in Renewable Micro-Generation

Jouni K. Juntunen

Outline

• Background• Research Question• Dataset• Original Research Papers• Implications

Background

• Changing energy sector– The end-user role is changing from passive consumer to active

co-provider with de-centralized technologies– New forms of collaboration and active engagement with

technology emerging

• Technological change– Not just matter of R&D– Understanding how technology is taken into use, used,

appropriated or abandoned can become critical in proliferation– Knowledge of the different roles of end-users in energy

technology diffusion processes could help product and service development, energy policy and consequently enhance the adoption rate of low carbon energy technologies

Socio-Technical

Understanding of Active Energy

Engagement

Energy Technology

Studies

Micro-Generation

Inno

vatio

n St

udie

sU

ser

Inno

vatio

nTechnology

Domestication

Sociology of

Consum

ption

Aim of the research

Research Question

What kind forms of active energy usership emerge with renewable micro-generation?

 Socio-technical Configurations

Domestication and active consumption of Technology

User InnovationsInternet Communities

Key Insights

Users of technologies create configurations to meet certain specific requirements.

Walker and Cass (2007) have developed generic theoretical socio-technical framework that includes both technological and organizational aspects making visible the multitude of configurations around the renewable energy deployments.

The domestication framework has been used to study adaptation processes where technology becomes part of everyday life.

Mainly used for ICT technologies, but also for other technologies.

Individuals or groups of ‘creative consumers’ and ‘craft consumers’ adapts, modifies, or transforms off-the-shelf products and use these as raw materials for creating a new product for own use.

User Innovation is reported in various fields.

The proportion of user innovations can vary from next to none to up to 80% found in surgical instruments.

Inventions by users tend to be highly concentrated on few user inventors, typically representing less than 0.1% of total user population.

Inventive users tend to get help from their peers, and this help is often vital for realizing their designs.

Research on peer networks has been active, including open source development, crowdsourcing, and variations of the open design movement.

In many domains innovating users are deeply embedded in communities of practice or have organized design-oriented networks within them.

 Socio-technical Configurations

Domestication and active consumption of Technology

User InnovationsInternet Communities

Research gaps in micro-generation context

Analytical practical tools for analyzing socio-technical configurations require development.

A review on socio-technical configurations specifically on micro-generation that makes visible richness and diversity of micro-generation technologies and deployment models is scarce.

Processes taking place during the active use of micro-generation technologies are not exhaustively analyzed.

The domestication and active consumption frameworks have not been applicable for infrastructural consumption and centralized energy generating technologies. Decentralization of generation opens up new research possibilities.

A detailed examination of users’ inventions on micro-generation has not been done to reveal where in the technical system in question inventive user modifications are accomplished and where not.

It is not well understood how capable the inventive users are at their technical modifications of renewable home-heating technologies.

Research has focused on location bound energy communities. CMC enabled new communities, particularly large user-run online forums and their role and support for technology adoptation and user innovation have not been studied.

Research Questions

What forms of socio-technical configurations are found in renewable micro-generation?

What kind of technology domestication and active consumption processes are involved with use of micro-generation technology?

How innovative users of micro-generation are and in what ways?

How user-run online forums support innovative activity?

Paper # Groups of interviewed peopleNo. semi structured interviews

Naturally occuring data

Paper A Review paper 0

Material from renewable energy service and provider websites, clean tech news sites, reports.

Paper BAir-heat-pump users (9), Solar thermal collector users (7) micro-wind users (5)

15Three energy related user-run online forums. 443 discussion threads.

Paper C

Air-heat-pump inventive users (13), Air-heat-pump companies (2), Ground-source-heat-pump inventive users (9), Ground-source-heat-pump companies (1), Wood pellet inventive users (13), Wood pellet companies (2)

40User-run online forum data. 1206 discussion threads.

Paper D

Air-heat-pump inventive users (13), Air-heat-pump companies (2), Ground-source-heat-pump inventive users (9), Ground-source-heat-pump companies (1)

25

User-run online forum data ,‘Own modifications and improvements’ and technical questions sections; altogether, 447 discussion threads.

Dataset

Dataset

Original Research Papers

• Juntunen, J.K. & Hyysalo, S. (under review in Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews), ‘Renewable micro-Generation of heat and electricity – Review on common and missing socio-technical configurations’.

• Juntunen, J.K. (2014), ‘Domestication Pathways of Small-scale Renewable Energy Technologies’, Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 1-15.

• Hyysalo, S., Juntunen, J.K. & Freeman, S. (2013), ‘User innovation in sustainable home energy technologies’, Energy Policy vol. 55, pp. 490-500.

• Hyysalo, S., Juntunen, J.K. & Freeman, S. (2013), ‘Internet forums and the rise of the inventive energy user’, Science and Technology Studies vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 25-51

lead user

hapless user

local expert

competent user

non user

Paper B:Processes of Becoming Competent User

Paper C:Creative Prosumer /User Innovator

Paper A:Technical and Organizational Components of Micro-generation

Paper D:Role of CMCs to support Creative Prosumers

Eng

agem

ent

Lev

el w

ith T

echn

olog

y

Knowledge

craft consume

r

new user

Socio-Technical Framework for Analyzing Micro-Generation

Paper A

Renewable micro-Generation of heat and electricity – Review on common and missing socio-technical configurations

Paper A

• Significant variations in socio-technical configurations depending on technology

• Differences in technological characteristics have a direct impact on operation and management needs

• Operation and management needs enable or hinder proliferation of company-driven models and servicezation of micro-generation

• 3rd party ownership (servicezation) may also hinder the development of local energy autonomy

Review on common and missing socio-technical configurations

Paper B

• Interlinked nature of renewable energy diffusion

• Series of separate DET investments are building development trajectory where one technology leads to the investment of the other

• Can be conceptualized as domestication pathways

Domestication Pathways of Small-scale Renewable Energy Technologies

Paper C

• 105 inventions in heat pumps

• 87 in wood pellet burning systems

• System level design• User modifications• User hacks, add-ons,

relocating repurposing

User innovation in sustainable home energy technologies

Paper D

• Majority of forum activities are centered on scaling, purchasing, maintenance, trouble shooting and comparing of different technology models

• DIY projects and exchange between inventive users are a minority phenomenon within the forum

• The forums play a major role in – obtaining help for user projects– the transfer and learning of

thematic knowledge– identifying and verifying points of

improvement– accessing relevant services– parts and tools– boosting motivation– spreading of user inventions

among peers

How user-run online forums support innovative activity?

Implications

New Energy Communities with Dispersed Structure

• In the community energy context, community is defined as a local unit, which operates inside a limited geographical area

• An energy community can also take a dispersed form and still work collectively as a virtual community

Interlinked Technologies and Domestication Pathways

• The use of the domestication framework (Paper B) revealed a hybridization development and the gradual development trajectories of housing energy systems over time

• Methodological implications, outside the energy technology domain

• Qualitative studies should look at innovation diffusion of multiple technologies simultaneously

• In-depth understanding of technology development trajectories and technology adaptations requires a longitudinal research approach

Open Pre-configuration

• The traditional way of thinking of product creation in a firm-based R&D department has been that the designer has in mind a specific purpose and way of using a product (pre-configuration)

• The future development of socio-technical change is hard to estimate

• However, in a DIY product owners can act against the original vision and employ products in a manner other than that intended by the manufacturers (re-configuration, de-configuration)

• Easy extendibility and hybridization of the system: importance of modularity and multi-purposing of products.

• Policy implications: Towards Dismantled Lock-Ins

Air-Source-Heat-Pumps

Air-to-Water-Heat-Pumps

Exhaust-Air-Heat-Pumps

Ground-Source-Heat-Pumps

units

Lead Users Helping to Recognize Reverse Salients

Power of Inclusive Participation with Various Groups

• Study of user-run online forums indicates that company-run online forum for a single brand is an artificial and limiting approach from a user perspective

• E.g. craft consumption: the basic principle is using several products as raw materials to create the new

• A product category type approach may support development of user competences and lead to increased customer satisfaction

• Different tools for different occasions: Online vs. real life• Towards Open Dialogue with Citizens

Towards Increased Energy Autonomy

• Utilities and third-party businesses have started to provide micro-generation as energy services for households (i.e. servicezation)

• These so-called third-party business models, including leasing, PPA or combinations, have spread centralized ownership to decentralized units of production

• Control and ownership of the production system• How energy policy can support local ownership?

The End – The most important message

• Government guarantee for micro-generation credit (a'la study loan guarantee in Finland)

• Credit removes upfront payment / capital need• Benefits both local houseowners and micro-ESCO

business

Thank you!

Original research papers can be downloaded from:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jouni_K_Juntunen