Nyborg, Sophie

Røpke, Inge

Gennem det seneste årti er det ’intelligente elnet’ eller ’smart grid’ i stigende grad blevet fremhævet mange steder i verden som et vigtig element i omstillingen mod et samfund, der bruger mindre fossil energi. Dette smart grid indebærer en modernisering af elsystemet medinformations- og kommunikationsteknologier, så systemet bliver mere ’intelligent’ og bedre istand til at balancere produktion og forbrug af el. Det er meningen, at det nye design skal takle flere nuværende udfordringer, som elsystemet står over for såsom den øgede integration af vedvarende energikilder på grund af klimaforandringer, spidsbelastninger i nettet og strømafbrydelser, forsyningssikkerhed, svindel og unøjagtige afregningsmetoder.Det foreliggende Ph.d. projekt har til hensigt at undersøge den rolle, som husholdninger har i en bæredygtig omstilling af energisystemet og tager udgangspunkt i den danske ’smart gridcase’. Her er ’the smart grid’ hovedsageligt forstået i forhold til det politiske mål om at basere energisystemet 100 % på vedvarende energi, hovedsageligt vindenergi og biomasse, inden2050. I en dansk kontekst forventes husholdningerne at spille en meget specifik rolle i ’the smart grid’: den øgede produktion af ’grøn’ el efterhånden som flere vindmøller integreres i systemet kræver, at husholdningerne også forbruger mere el og blandt andet investerer i varmepumper og elbiler, hvorved de elektrificerer varme og transport. For at udnytte den fluktuerende vindenergi bedre og undgå spidsbelastninger i nettet, så forventes husholdningerne dog også at bruge el mere ’fleksibelt’ med hjælp fra intelligente energistyringsteknologier og motiveret af nye prisstrukturer. Dette betyder, at de f.eks. skalhave deres varmepumpe slukket i perioder med spidsbelastning eller tænde for vaskemaskinen, når ’vinden blæser’. Gennem kvalitativt feltarbejde i det danske smart grid felt og deltagerobservation i eFlexprojektet – et brugerorienteret innovationsprojekt DONG Energy gennemførte med 119husholdninger – har Ph.d. projektet udforsket denne tekno-økonomisk drevne vision for en bæredygtig omstilling af energisystemet. Ved at trække på videnskabs- og teknologistudier(STS) og praksisteori undersøger afhandlingen kritisk visionen for ’the-smart-home-in-thesmart-grid’ og peger på de mulige ubæredygtige udviklingsveje, denne vision kan føre til.Afhandlingen udforsker også den rolle, som energisystemaktører spiller i konstruktionen af brugerportrætter, der passer til det system, de gerne vil udvikle.Derudover kritiserer afhandlingen den meget udbredte forståelse af husholdningers forhold til energi, hvorigennem de udelukkende bliver set som værende forbrugere af det og argumenterer for, at dette perspektiv er utilstrækkeligt til at forstå hverdagslivets dynamikker og hvordan det ændrer sig. Etnografisk feltarbejde i ’eFlex husholdninger’ demonstrerer fordet første, hvordan husholdninger også kan have mere aktive og innovative roller i systemet og for det andet, hvordan teknologier og husholdningspraksisser indvirker på hinanden.Afhandlingen opfordrer også til et brud med ’smart grid udrulning’ terminologien gennem et historisk casestudie af udviklingen af varmepumper i Danmark. På den måde argumentererafhandlingen for, at den nuværende omstilling af energisystemet stadig er et kontroversielt emne og at mange omstillingsveje udover ’smart grid vejen’ kan fremkomme, i hvilke husholdninger vil og bør få en vital rolle, der går ud over at tage de rette ’forbrugervalg’. Tilsidst diskuteres hvilke politiske initiativer der kan tages for at understøtte en mere bæredygtig udvikling af samfundet og -konfiguration af energisystemet.Increasingly over the last decade, the ’smart grid’ has been highlighted in many parts of the world as an important element in a low-carbon transition. The smart grid is a concept that entails the modernisation of the electricity system with information and communication technologies, in order to make the system more ‘intelligent’ and balance electricity production and consumption better. This new design is thought to address several current challenges to the electricity system, such as the increased integration of intermittent renewable energy sources due to climate change issues, peak demand and black-outs, fuel security, fraud and inaccurate billing. The present PhD project aims to explore the role households play in a sustainable transition of the energy system and takes as its point of departure the Danish smart grid case. Here the smart grid is dominantly framed in relation to the political goal of basing the energy system100 % on renewable energy, mainly wind power and biomass, by 2050. In a Danish context, households are expected to have a very specific role in the smart grid: the growing production of ‘green’ electricity, as more wind turbines are integrated in the system, requires that households also increasingly consume electricity through, among other things, the investment in heat pumps and electric cars, whereby they ‘electrify’ heating and transport. However, to utilise the intermittent wind energy production better and avoid escalating peakloads, households are expected to consume electricity more ‘flexibly’, with the aid of smarthome energy management technologies and motivated by new pricing structures. This means they should, for instance, have their heat pump turned off during peak hours or turn on their washing machine ‘when the wind blows’. Through qualitative fieldwork in the Danish smart grid case and participatory observation inthe eFlex project – a user oriented smart grid innovation project commissioned by the energygroup ‘DONG Energy’ involving 119 Danish households – the PhD project explores this techno-economically-driven vision for a sustainable transition of the energy system. By drawing on science and technology Studies (STS) and practice theory, the thesis investigates critically the vision of ‘the smart-home-in-the-smart-grid’ and points out possible unsustainable development paths that may result from this vision. The thesis also investigates critically the role energy system actors play in constructing consumer images that ‘fit’ with the system that is being built. Furthermore it is argued that the pervasive framing of the householders’ relationship to energy solely in terms of their role as consumers of it is insufficient in terms of understanding the dynamics of everyday life and how it changes. Ethnographic fieldwork in ‘eFlexhouseholds’ demonstrates firstly how householders can also have more active and innovative roles in the system and, secondly, how smart technologies interact with the continuous changes of domestic practices. The thesis also calls for a break with the ‘smart grid roll-out’ terminology by unfolding a historical case study of the development of heat pumps in the Danish energy system. Thus, it is argued that the present low carbon transition of the energy system is still a contested issue, and that many development paths besides the ‘smart gridpath’ can emerge in which households will and should play a vital role beyond making the‘right consumer choices’. Finally, a discussion of the policy initiatives that can support a more sustainable societal development and configuration of the energy system is presented

Online Research Database In Technology

Smart homes in transition - Investigating the role of households in the development of smartgrids in Denmark - DTU Orbit (08/11/2017) Smart homes in transition - Investigating the role of households in the development of smart grids in DenmarkIncreasingly over the last decade, the ’smart grid’ has been highlighted in many parts of the world as an important elementin a low-carbon transition. The smart grid is a concept that entails the modernisation of the electricity system withinformation and communication technologies, in order to make the system more ‘intelligent’ and balance electricityproduction and consumption better. This new design is thought to address several current challenges to the electricitysystem, such as the increased integration of intermittent renewable energy sources due to climate change issues, peakdemand and black-outs, fuel security, fraud and inaccurate billing. The present PhD project aims to explore the rolehouseholds play in a sustainable transition of the energy system and takes as its point of departure the Danish smart gridcase. Here the smart grid is dominantly framed in relation to the political goal of basing the energy system100 % onrenewable energy, mainly wind power and biomass, by 2050. In a Danish context, households are expected to have avery specific role in the smart grid: the growing production of ‘green’ electricity, as more wind turbines are integrated in thesystem, requires that households also increasingly consume electricity through, among other things, the investment inheat pumps and electric cars, whereby they ‘electrify’ heating and transport. However, to utilise the intermittent windenergy production better and avoid escalating peakloads, households are expected to consume electricity more ‘flexibly’,with the aid of smarthome energy management technologies and motivated by new pricing structures. This means theyshould, for instance, have their heat pump turned off during peak hours or turn on their washing machine ‘when the windblows’. Through qualitative fieldwork in the Danish smart grid case and participatory observation inthe eFlex project – auser oriented smart grid innovation project commissioned by the energygroup ‘DONG Energy’ involving 119 Danishhouseholds – the PhD project explores this techno-economically-driven vision for a sustainable transition of the energysystem. By drawing on science and technology Studies (STS) and practice theory, the thesis investigates critically thevision of ‘the smart-home-in-the-smart-grid’ and points out possible unsustainable development paths that may result fromthis vision. The thesis also investigates critically the role energy system actors play in constructing consumer images that‘fit’ with the system that is being built. Furthermore it is argued that the pervasive framing of the householders’ relationshipto energy solely in terms of their role as consumers of it is insufficient in terms of understanding the dynamics of everydaylife and how it changes. Ethnographic fieldwork in ‘eFlexhouseholds’ demonstrates firstly how householders can also havemore active and innovative roles in the system and, secondly, how smart technologies interact with the continuouschanges of domestic practices. The thesis also calls for a break with the ‘smart grid roll-out’ terminology by unfolding ahistorical case study of the development of heat pumps in the Danish energy system. Thus, it is argued that the presentlow carbon transition of the energy system is still a contested issue, and that many development paths besides the ‘smartgridpath’ can emerge in which households will and should play a vital role beyond making the‘right consumer choices’.Finally, a discussion of the policy initiatives that can support a more sustainable societal development and configuration ofthe energy system is presented. General informationState: PublishedOrganisations: Department of Management Engineering, Aalborg UniversityAuthors: Nyborg, S. (Intern), Røpke, I. (Intern)Number of pages: 189Publication date: 2015 Publication informationPublisher: Aalborg UniversityOriginal language: EnglishMain Research Area: Technical/natural sciences Bibliographical noteThe thesis is not in its present form acceptable for open publication.Publication: Research › Ph.D. thesis – Annual report year: 2016 

Smart homes in transition - Investigating the role of households in the development of smart grids in Denmark

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Smart homes in transition - Investigating the role of households in the development of smart grids in Denmark

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