Community Acceptance of Wind Energy Developments: Experience from Wind Energy Scarce Regions in Europe

Renewable energy plays an important role in the transition to a low emission society, yet in many regions energy projects have resulted in increasing societal polarization. Based on a comprehensive literature review and a survey among stakeholders from specific regions in Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Spain with little prior experience with wind energy, we highlight six categories of factors that shape community acceptance of onshore wind energy development: technical characteristics of wind energy projects, environmental impacts, economic impacts, societal impacts, contextual factors and individual characteristics. We identify key similarities in acceptance-related patterns of wind energy development across the selected regions, but also important differences, highlighting the very context-specific nature of community acceptance. The findings contribute to improving the understanding of the forces, factors and relationships at play between policy frameworks and perceptions of wind energy under different conditions. We conclude by proposing policy recommendations regarding measures to increase the positive impacts and reduce the negative impacts of wind energy projects, and to strengthen existing drivers and reduce barriers to community acceptance of wind energy development

UPSCALE: Upscaling Sustainable Collaborative Consumption Using Public Libraries

UPSCALE is an international collaboration of universities, research institutes, public libraries, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that explore the preconditions for and possible upscaling of collaborative consumption using public libraries. UPSCALE runs until autumn 2024, and results will be published continuously in journals dealing with library and information studies, climate research, and sustainability. In this research note, we introduce ongoing research from the UPSCALE research group by presenting several case studies that show how public libraries act as change agents in different ways regarding sustainable development. This might be by facilitating, promoting the lending, and sharing alternative collections in the library or by building collaborations, partnerships, and networks with local community actors, NGOs, and other local and national partners

Upscale: Upscaling Sustainable Collaborative Consumption Using Public Libraries

UPSCALE is an international collaboration of universities, research institutes, public libraries, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that explore the preconditions for and possible upscaling of collaborative consumption using public libraries. UPSCALE runs until autumn 2024, and results will be published continuously in journals dealing with library and information studies, climate research,and sustainability. In this research note, we introduce ongoing research from the UPSCALE research group by presenting several case studies that show how public libraries act as change agents in different ways regarding sustainable development. This might be by facilitating, promoting the lending, and sharing alternative collections in the library or by building collaborations, partnerships, and networks with local community actors, NGOs, and other local and national partners

Forbrukerfleksibilitet: Et kunnskapsgrunnlag for å forstå husholdningers oppfatninger og muligheter

I Norge ble en ny modell for beregning av nettleie innført 1. juli 2022. Formålet med den nye nettleien er å motivere husholdninger til å fordele strømforbruket jevnere utover døgnet. På tidspunktet hvor den nye nettleien ble planlagt innført var det liten kunnskap om virkninger av slike virkemidler på forbrukere. Flexeffect-prosjektet startet har undersøkt virkninger virkemidler for fleksibel strømbruk på forskjellige husholdningsgrupper. Resultatene viser at mange av forbrukerne forstår og er enige med formålet for ny nettleie. Samtidig gjør utformingen det vanskelig å forstå og tilpasse seg i hverdagslivet og det er konkurrerende signaler og hensyn de må ta. Videre har mange uttrykt bekymring for at den nye nettleien kan få uheldige og urettferdige fordelingsvirkninger. Våre funn viser også at det er krevende for forbrukere å ta i bruk ny teknologi for å øke forbrukerfleksibiliteten. Selv om forbrukerhensyn er nevnt i den politiske rosessen for å innføre ny nettleie er forbrukerne svakt representert i utformingen og forbrukerhensynene som inngår i konsultasjonene har en tendens til å være generelle. Dimensjoner som systembehov er blitt mer vektlagt enn orbrukerbehov og ikke minst forbrukeres evne til tilpasning

Trust across Distance : A network approach to the development, distribution and maintenance of trust in distributed work groups

Work groups that consist of members localized in different geographical places, but maintain contact via electronic media, have become a widespread phenomenon within modern organizations. These are generally referred to as distributed work groups. Trust is increasingly considered to be a key characteristic for distributed groups, which can help improve the quality of the work, increase the effectiveness of the group, and prevent conflicts. At the same time, trust is a characteristic that can be difficult to develop within the frameworks where such groups often operate. This dissertation examines the opportunities that exist for such groups to establish and preserve trust, using an empirical study of four cases linked to an international Norwegian company as its basis. The dissertation builds upon a network-based analytical perspective, in which the distributed groups are understood to be dynamic relational networks, supported by different types of information and communication technologies (ICT). In accordance with this perspective, trust is primarily understood to be a characteristic of the social relations that exist within the groups, and a quality of the structural configurations of trust-bearing networks. In this field, the network perspective opens up for more detailed analyses than what has previously been done, with greater focus on the “structural aspects” of trust. The dissertation explores three main processes linked to the following: 1) establishing trust within distributed groups; 2) the distribution of trust in relation to ICT-based communication; and 3) the significance of structural configurations for preserving trust within groups. The results indicate first that trust in groups is established and reinforced in situations where certain coworkers actively build trust over geographical and cultural barriers. These relational processes are described in the dissertation as trust brokering. Trust brokering involves a gradual building up of trust relations through regular interactions, and it can be developed along a cognitive and an affective dimension. Second, the results demonstrate that affective and cognitive trust networks follow different structural patterns within the groups, and they are supported by different types of ICT; while the affective networks are especially supported by face-to-face communication and text messages, the cognitive networks are especially supported by voice telephony and email. This indicates that the quality of the social relations affects what technology is used to initiate or maintain a relation. Third, the results reveal that the groups with high levels of group-based trust have developed integrated cores consisting of trust-bearing relations, involving key actors in the group. This suggests that the groups’ structural configuration of trust-bearing relations influence on how well trust is developed and maintained in these cases

Technopolis, shared resources or controlled mobility? A net-based Delphi-study to explore visions of future urban daily mobility in Norway

It is widely recognized that transformation of urban areas are urgent to meet the demands for more efficient and environmental friendly transportation in the future. Although there are general agreements on the need for change, different ideas and visions for the future dominate across different groups of stakeholders and academics. In this paper we explore various views on the future of everyday travelling in urban regions, 30–40 years ahead, focussing in particular on four larger urban areas in Norway. Based on an innovative web-based Delphi-study, involving 280 national experts, various conceptions of future urban travelling is explored. An explorative factor analysis (principal component analysis) is applied to reveal three slightly different understandings of how the urban future may look like in 2050. These three visions - labelled as “Controlled mobility”, “Technopolis” and “Shared mobility”- suggests slightly different scenarios’ for the future of urban travelling.publishedVersio

Bærekraftig deling i norske kommuner: status og nye muligheter

Denne studien er del av prosjektet UPSCALE, der formålet er å undersøke mulighetene for å øke omfanget av bærekraftig utlån og deling med utgangspunkt i lokale biblioteker. For å få vite mer om bruk av eksisterende dele- og låneordninger, og interessen for å låne gjenstander ved butikkutsalg ved hjelp av bibliotekenes utlånskort, er det gjennomført spørreundersøkelser i fem kommuner: Nordre Follo, Drammen, Tromsø, Lillestrøm og Lier. Rapporten viser at seks prosent av befolkningen i disse kommunene har benyttet eksisterende utlånsordninger det siste året. Det er først og fremst praktiske motiver som gjør at folk låner utstyr, men ønsker om å redusere forbruk mer generelt spiller også en rolle. Totalt oppgir hver fjerde innbygger i kommunene at de kan være interessert i å låne utstyr i butikker ved hjelp av bibliotekenes lånekort

Trust and Sharing in Online Environments. A Comparative Study of Different Groups of Norwegian Car Sharers

Though multiple studies have explored the phenomenon of car sharing, very few have indulged into exploring how different forms of trust varies between users of different business models. We address this research gap through employing quantitative data analyses of car sharers in Norway. Results show that the levels of ingroup and outgroup-trust (i.e., trust towards friends/family or unfamiliar persons) are markedly low for the members of the peer-to-peer scheme (M = 3.4/2.9) as compared to the cooperative (M = 6.0/4.8) and business-to-consumer scheme (M = 5.7/4.4). In contrast, technology-based trust is more important for the P2P sharers (M = 5.8) than cooperative (M = 5.6) and the B2C users (M = 5.6). Our findings echo previous studies, indicating that a different set of institutional logics is driving the transactions at the emerging P2P platforms compared to former non-profit sharing communities.publishedVersio

Car sharing and transformations in households travel patterns: Insights from emerging proto-practices in Norway

Over the last decades car sharing has been recognized as a socio-technical innovation that can help to reduce or replace the use of fossil-fueled private cars in urban regions. To understand how car sharing may be used in the future, and its potential role as a driver of a more sustainable mobility system, studies of early user practices represent an important source of knowledge. Based on a combination of inductive statistical techniques and qualitative investigations of car-sharing households in Oslo, this study explores emerging practices of car sharing. A survey of 1,136 active car sharers is combined with 36 in-depth interviews with households using three different car-sharing schemes. The results suggest that car sharing is developing as three different proto-practices, labeled as active green, local flexible and long-distance holiday. These three practice forms relate to variations in car-sharing schemes, type of travel, and length/frequency of trips, as well as to affiliated motives and meanings. The study contributes a deeper understanding of how current car-sharing practices are emerging in households and the potential implications for sustainable urban mobility and policy developments

Social networks in transit: exploring the development of new network-based travel practices

Mobile media are changing everyday social practices, including modes of travel and the way social networks are developed, sustained, and transformed. This chapter present findings from an explorative study of urban travelers in Oslo, drawing on structuration theory and social practice theory. Findings show that travel routines are becoming increasingly entangled with the use of personal and social media in everyday life. Many young travelers have social relationships that are embedded in an “omnipresent” stream of mediated communication, changing the content and experience of being on the move. Communication practices appear to be moving toward a real-time mode, where mundane pictures of objects encountered in the flux of everyday life, spontaneous reflections, discussion, and web stories are continually produced and circulated as part of the maintenance of social networks. Partly this seems to be founded on social norms and expectations for high frequent communication within networks of close friends. However, personal and social media is also actively influencing on how people plan and coordinate various social gatherings, as well as on the meaning given to these afterwards