Crisis as opportunity? an ethnographic case-study of the post-capitalist possibilities of crisis community currency movements

A growing body of scholarship suggests that capitalism is not inevitable and that moments of crisis provide an opportunity for critique and social transformation. Yet literature on social movements employing direct-action tactics to unmake capitalism and challenge austerity is still lacking. It has neither adequately dealt with non-capitalist practices, nor has it substantiated claims of efficacy in social change. This thesis uses a novel research approach and presents new empirical evidence to deal with these shortcomings. It addresses the timely questions of whether and how these social movements support life despite-yet-beyond the recession. It thinks with, yet beyond, a practice-turn in social movement scholarship to break new ground for literature on non-capitalist practices, alternative economies and social movements. Specifically, the thesis provides a multi-sited ethnographic case-study of three Athenian crisis community currency movements. This informs the first study of community currencies dealing with the nitty-gritty of practicing the alternative economy. In so doing, it outlines what happens when emancipatory ideas of using alternative currencies to support everyday practices come into contact with the realities of modern-day Athens. It details a process of experimentation, learning-in-practice and contestation that both underlies and undermines the emergence of non-capitalist practices. This approach enables an enlightened response on whether – and how – living despite-yet-beyond austerity is possible. The findings suggest that community currencies are only partly successful in enabling non-capitalist practices. And yet, the research uncovers a side of Athens as a crucible of creative resistance that would otherwise go unnoticed. If this is accepted, the thesis concludes with a novel conceptual model and an agenda for future research on non-capitalism. This will play-out both to the benefit of scholarship and society alike, as it promises to conceptually advance the field and to further corroborate the non-capitalist imaginary – enhancing faith in alternatives to austerity and capitalism

Innovative energy islands: Life-cycle cost-benefit analysis for battery energy storage

Cities are concentrations of economic, social, and technical assets, which are fundamental to addressing climate change challenges. Renewable energy sources are growing fast in cities to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in response to these challenges. In this transition urban decentralized energy shares technical and economic characteristics with energy islands. This is reflected in that island energy systems essentially operate off-grid which as a modus operandi can offer lessons to small-scale urban systems. With the expansion of urban areas, communities, especially small-scale ones, are sometimes further away from the main power infrastructure. Providing power supply to these communities would require significant investment to the existing power system, either to improve its grid infrastructure or power supply facilities. The energy islands have for some time now lent themselves to energy innovation including smart grid and battery storage applications. In this research we conceptualize that urban energy communities can be benefitted by knowledge transfer from energy islands in several fronts. We specifically put forward a life-cycle cost-benefit analysis model to evaluate the economics of battery storage system used in small communities from a life-cycle perspective. In this research we put forward a novel cost-benefit analysis model. Our results show that the inclusion of externalities can improve the economic value of battery systems significantly. Nevertheless, the economic performance is still largely dependent on several parameters, including capacity cost, discharging price, and charging cost. We conclude that existing electricity price structures (e.g., using household electricity price as a benchmark) struggle to guarantee sufficient economic returns except in very favorable circumstances; therefore, governmental support is deemed necessary

Sustainability of local renewable energy projects: A comprehensive framework and an empirical analysis on two islands

Local energy projects have been associated with several benefits for the local community like social cohesion, economic gains, new skills, and environmental awareness. Yet, there is limited research on whether the projects fulfill their sustainability promises, and how the local community perceive the benefits. This research introduces a novel framework to assess the success of a local renewable energy project based on the perceptions of the local population and the initial ambitions of the projects. Using this framework two innovative local renewable energy projects are assessed; one in Tilos island in Greece and the other in El Hierro in Spain. An online questionnaire was used to assess the impact of the project on people's lives, their overall assessment of the project and their willingness to support similar future initiatives. The data show that the economic benefits are not significant when people assess the project, while on the contrary other factors like the environmental benefits, sense of pride, technical parameters institutional seem to have a greater effect. The environmental and institutional factors are also among the ones that influence people's willingness to support and participate in future projects. Overall, we reveal that the two projects are quite successful in the eyes of the local population and offer good case studies with several implications for policymakers and future initiatives

The case for islands’ energy vulnerability: Electricity supply diversity in 44 global islands

Energy supply security is a multifaceted challenge for all countries and especially for small island nations that might have limited adaptive capacity. Previous studies showed that islands experience energy scarcity and isolation from energy markets due to their remote location making energy supply security a challenging issue. We estimate energy supply diversity and concentration for 44 islands in order to provide an island specific benchmark approach for energy supply security. We use established metrics Shannon-Wiener index (SWI), Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) with Energy Information Administration (EIA) fuel mix data. To confront the issues of supply security and sustainability we test energy diversity against energy and emissions intensity. The global character of the research along with the wide range of islands covered allows useful comparisons between countries and for a means of benchmarking against the indices while creating certain defined country clusters. Overall it is found that average island energy intensity increased by 23.4% with a corresponding increase of 12.4% on their emissions intensity for the period 2000–2015. On the other hand, diversity has improved by 21.3% (SWI) and by 2% (HHI) since 2000. We argue that fossil-fuel lock-in for islands must break in order to UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 to be achieved particularly for vulnerable island nations

Bringing innovation to market: business models for battery storage

Power systems around the world have undergone significant transitions towards a decentralization and decarbonization with higher requirements on supply security and flexibility. Technology advancement helps to improve energy efficiency and bring down cost, which in turn promote the growth of battery storage internationally. Business models of battery storage remain vague given its early stages of development but it is clear that there is no universal business model for batteries given the breadth of applications. In this study, we review the main components of existing business models and highlight the areas to be strengthened in a novel business model. Business models should be distinguished at different scales (utility-scale; behind-the-meter application; community-island mode operation) addressing different needs (to replace existing system or to add new capacity). A successful business model of a battery storage system needs to take into account electricity system transition, market and regulatory barriers, among others. Last but not least, it is important to consider innovations in other technologies for the design of a business model

Sustainable energy solutions for the Aegean Archipelago Islands: What is the public attitude?

In contributing towards the realisation of plans to transform the Aegean into a “green” archipelago, the internationally acclaimed TILOS research consortium seeks to transfer tacit knowledge of smart micro-grids beyond the island of Tilos. However, research on public acceptability of sustainable energy technologies suggests that local opposition might undermine such plans. In order to minimize the problems of technological transfers it is, thus, imperative to embark on an early-stage exploration of public attitudes towards proposed interventions. In this paper, we draw on survey data from across the Aegean to uncover the widespread acceptability of green energy solutions. Simultaneously, though, we uncover how broad acceptability does not always translate into actual acceptance of the TILOS energy model, especially with respect to solutions that affect the end-user. In turn, we argue that these findings should inform future interventions with the ultimate aim of securing public support to “green” the Aegean

Public perception of sustainable energy innovation: A case study from Tilos, Greece

Renewable and smart grid technologies play a key role in delivering a sustainable energy future for non-interconnected islands. In this context, societal acceptance of proposed interventions manifests itself as a major determinant of planned transitions. With extant scholarship on public acceptability of sustainable energy technologies focusing on local opposition to wind farms, this paper presents timely survey data from the island of Tilos to provide a better understanding of energy-users’ perceptions vis-à-vis novel smart island proposals. Against stultifying narratives highlighting the lack of community acceptance for local interventions, we uncover: a) the widespread acceptance of sustainable and smart energy solutions, and b) the willingness of a large proportion of locals to play their part, as engaged energy prosumers, in a green energy transition. In turn, these findings form the basis for future academic and technical interventions on the island, and inform broader conclusions on public engagement around energy

The challenges of engaging island communities: Lessons on renewable energy from a review of 17 case studies

Islands have attracted growing attention as sites of renewable energy generation, both for generating commercial low-carbon energy and to improve local energy conditions. However, significant challenges exist in achieving fair distribution in the benefits and costs of developments located on or around islands and in engaging local communities on proposals for installations. A broad literature exists on the merits of different community engagement techniques but important gaps remain in understandings of the particular challenges of engaging with island communities on energy issues. Based on a thematic literature review, this article examines general principles and considerations for community engagement on energy developments, features of islands that can affect community engagement, and how past engagement processes have sought to encourage community participation, gain trust, and manage conflicts over developments. The review indicates that island communities appeared to be particularly concerned with ensuring that engagement processes give adequate priority to securing local benefits and incorporate credible mechanisms for managing intra-community conflicts. The article concludes by arguing that islands provide important arenas for testing not just new energy technologies but also ways to improve the integration of justice principles into community engagement on energy issues

Let's 'do different': Planetary Citizen Education Proposal

BCAN, the Biodiversity and Climate Action Network, brings together students and staff at UEA committed to making UEA ‘walk the talk’ on the climate & biodiversity emergencies. The BCAN “Climate Education” working group has developed a series of pragmatic proposals for improving climate education at UEA. These proposals are based on research on other universities’ climate education work, on staff and student workshops (funded by the Chase Climate Justice Network) and on conversations with relevant bodies at UEA. Implementing these proposals will require a moderate level of resource commitment from central management. Not committing these resources puts UEA at significant risk of further falling behind others in the sector. The proposals in this report can be implemented swiftly and mostly be slotted into existing structures. They should be a starting point for more fundamental reforms in the near future. This report proposes that UEA widens, broadens, and deepens its climate education offer, by taking the steps outlined in detail in the graphic on the next page. The proposals in this report are based on a philosophy of interdisciplinary critical optimism that takes issues of climate avoidance and climate anxiety seriously, while equipping students with critical thinking skills and preparing them for taking action in the real world

The social perspective on island energy transitions: Evidence from the Aegean archipelago

Multiple (inter)national networks and research consortia attempt to capitalise on their emerging experience of integrated smart and green energy solutions by contributing towards the sustainable energy transition of non-interconnected island communities. However, past research at an international level suggests that local opposition might undermine otherwise promising transition plans. In order to minimise the problems of technological transfers, it is, thus, imperative to embark on an early-stage exploration of public attitudes towards such innovations. In light, however, of the routine exclusion of social issues in island energy studies, we present timely data from the first-ever questionnaire survey conducted across the islands of the Aegean Sea. In doing so, we uncover the widespread acceptability of green energy solutions developed as part of the internationally acclaimed TILOS (“Technology Innovation for the Local Scale, Optimum Integration of Battery Energy Storage”) Horizon 2020 project. Simultaneously, though, we draw on the outputs of our unique end-user segmentation analyses and argue that only certain islanders are likely to accept the full replication of the TILOS energy model in their communities. Numerous personal/demographic factors influence the likelihood of accepting specific sustainable energy technologies and, subsequently, only a group of individuals who are young, male, knowledgeable and concerned about the environment are expected to support the proposed technological transition. In turn, we argue that these findings should inform future interventions and research with the ultimate aim of supporting efforts to “green” the Aegean archipelago and other non-interconnected islands at an international level