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Communities Living Sustainably: Multiple Perspectives on Low Carbon Energy

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "C: Energy Economics and Policy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2021) | Viewed by 28534

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Mark Lemon

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Guest Editor

Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD), School of Engineering and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
Interests: energy technologies and demand management; systems thinking and education for sustainability; integrative methods and trans-disciplinary skills; modern methods of construction; trust and knowledge in socio-technical systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Birgit Painter

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Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD), School of Engineering and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
Interests: Building performance assessment - multidisciplinary work in environmental science, including: Sustainable buildings - energy efficient design and operation; Smart built environment (Smart Cities, BIM); Building performance analysis, post-occupancy evaluation of environmental and human factors; Visual and thermal comfort studies; Air quality monitoring and analysis; Longitudinal post-occupancy studies

Dr. Andrew Mitchell

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Guest Editor

School of Engineering and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
Interests: sustainability project evaluation research; the use of language analytic methods to contribute to evaluation research; practitioner learning and sense-making; evaluation research methods and theory development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ashley Morton

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Guest Editor

School of Engineering and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
Interests: sustainable smart cities; community engagement; energy related behaviour change; social acceptance of new technologies

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

City, regional and national governments around the world continue to embrace the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the role for clean, efficient and low carbon energy (SDG 7) within this. There remains however much that we do not know about the most viable ways of achieving this, especially given the variation in local conditions, constraints and opportunities.

In this special issue we are interested in receiving papers that explore different perspectives on, and approaches to, the potential of low carbon pathways to support more sustainable communities. We are keen to attract papers that present research into technical, behavioural and policy based low carbon initiatives in a range of socio-cultural, geographical and economic community contexts. Contributions may include reference to smart cities, to the future-proofing of urban and rural communities and infrastructure and to community-based low carbon initiatives. It is also hoped that some papers will present a more systems based analysis of how these low carbon energy projects impact on other aspects of community living and as such contribute to a more holistic approach to communities living sustainably.

Prof. Dr. Mark Lemon
Dr. Birgit Painter
Dr. Andrew Mitchell
Dr. Ashley Morton
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Sustainable communities
low carbon energy systems
future proofing
multiple perspectives
Sustainable Development Goals

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 1716 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Power of Co-Creation in the Energy Transition—DART Model in Citizen Energy Communities Projects

by Bożena Ryszawska, Magdalena Rozwadowska, Roksana Ulatowska, Marcin Pierzchała and Piotr Szymański

Energies 2021, 14(17), 5266; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14175266 - 25 Aug 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3625

Abstract

Successful energy transformation is interconnected with greater citizenry participation as prosumers. The search for novel solutions to implement the transition to renewable energy that will neutralize the barriers to this process, e.g., the reluctance of citizens to get involved, lack of trust in decision-makers and lack of co-ownership of energy projects, is inevitable as a part of the bottom-up process. Energy communities have vast potential to scale up Renewable Energy projects. Due to the fact that in Poland, establishing citizen energy communities in the cities is not allowed, the key success factor of energy transformation is to engage housing cooperatives and other housing communities in this process. A similar legal framework prevents communities from establishing themselves in the Czech Republic and Hungary. The research problem of this paper is to identify determinants of the co-creation process in Renewable Energy project activation at the housing cooperative level. The aim is to identify key conditions that housing cooperatives should establish in order to successfully undertake Renewable Energy project implementation using a co-creation approach. The literature study shows that the term “co-creation” is not often used in energy transition projects, although many local energy transitions are indeed co-created, unfortunately not in a structured methodical manner. In the research, we apply the DART (Dialogue, Access, Risk, Transparency) model as the framework to conduct the analysis. The study has been carried out using quantitative and qualitative research methods and based on primary and secondary data. Our findings indicate that considering the different areas of the DART model, co-creation was most visible in the area of dialogue-communication between cooperative authorities and its members, while it was least visible in the area of transparency. Based on the results pertaining to the implemented project, the researchers postulate the inclusion of factors beyond the DART model that further shape the co-creation process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communities Living Sustainably: Multiple Perspectives on Low Carbon Energy)

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23 pages, 3326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimally Clocking the Low Carbon Energy Mile to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from Dundee’s Electric Vehicle Strategy

by Ayodele Asekomeh, Obindah Gershon and Smith I. Azubuike

Energies 2021, 14(4), 842; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14040842 - 5 Feb 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3257

Abstract

Dundee City has been successful in installing green infrastructure for charging electric vehicles (EVs). This intervention matches the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of affordable clean energy (SDG 7), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and climate action (SDG 13) of the United Nations General Assembly Agenda 2030 (Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development). Local authorities can align interventions with SDGs according to needs. The purpose of this paper is to consider whether Dundee’s EV strategy represents the most viable and equitable intervention that could be adopted given the city’s context. We adopt a positive review and value argumentation approach to determine the extent to which the strategy satisfies the criteria of “level of urgency”, “systemic impact” and “policy gaps”, which have been employed in the extant literature as the basis for a multi-criteria analysis (MCA). We eclectically review elements of the strategy against the city’s peculiar physical and socio-economic environment, as well as argue their fit against these criteria. We interpret these criteria based on the complementarity and benefits of the strategy from the lenses of SDG 7, SDG 11 and SDG 13. Additionally, we consider the alignment of the EV strategy with the other SDGs. The criteria also allow us to evaluate the strategy based on the localisation principles of equity, acceptability and affordability of the intervention. Our review shows that the EV strategy represents a sustainable and community life-enhancing intervention that aligns with some key SDGs. However, the outcome raises concerns about the equitability of the strategy. Smaller, similar or bigger cities could utilise this approach. However, we recommend the evaluation of local priorities to improve alignment with the SDGs and the provision of clear justifications for selecting an intervention from a range of responses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communities Living Sustainably: Multiple Perspectives on Low Carbon Energy)

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24 pages, 932 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Transition of Dutch Social Housing Corporations to Sustainable Business Models for New Buildings and Retrofits

by Wim Lambrechts, Andrew Mitchell, Mark Lemon, Muhammad Usman Mazhar, Ward Ooms and Rikkert van Heerde

Energies 2021, 14(3), 631; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14030631 - 26 Jan 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3516

Abstract

Social housing corporations play an important role in society as they provide affordable and good-quality housing for vulnerable citizens. Yet, the sector has to deal with the historical legacy of a high number of old and poorly insulated buildings. While research into the processes that drive or hinder business model innovation in this sector is scarce, this paper draws upon multiple qualitative case studies of social housing in the Netherlands to identify critical success factors for the transition to sustainable business models for new buildings and retrofits. Results show that there are four key attributes for a successful transition process: collaboration (both with supply chain partners as well as other social housing associations); continuous innovation; vision; and the role of the government (including subsidies and fiscal regulations). While economic performance was an important boundary condition, sustainability was not always seen as a strategic organizational objective, a finding that might be explained through considering the legacy of social housing corporations. Furthermore, a number of barriers were identified including the need for customer acceptance, a lack of support from the construction sector and government and macroeconomic factors such as increased construction costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communities Living Sustainably: Multiple Perspectives on Low Carbon Energy)

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21 pages, 1576 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Citizen Engagement for Co-Creating Low Carbon Smart Cities: Practical Lessons from Nottingham City Council in the UK

by Sam Preston, Muhammad Usman Mazhar and Richard Bull

Energies 2020, 13(24), 6615; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13246615 - 15 Dec 2020

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 4218

Abstract

Cities constitute three quarters of global energy consumption and the built environment is responsible for significant use of final energy (62%) and greenhouse gas emissions (55%). Energy has now become a strategic issue for local authorities (LAs) and can offer savings when budget cuts have threatened the provision of core services. Progressive LAs are exploring energy savings and carbon reduction opportunities as part of the sustainable and smart city agenda. This paper explores the role of citizens in smart city development as “buildings don’t use energy: people do”. Citizens have the potential to shape transitions towards smart and sustainable futures. This paper contributes to the growing evidence base of citizen engagement in low carbon smart cities by presenting novel insights and practical lessons on how citizen engagement can help in smart city development through co-creation with a focus on energy in the built environment. A case study of Nottingham in the UK, a leading smart city, is analysed using Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation. Nottingham City Council (NCC) has pledged to keep “citizens at the heart” of its plans. This paper discusses learnings from two EU funded Horizon 2020 projects, REMOURBAN (REgeneration MOdel for accelerating the smart URBAN transformation) and eTEACHER, both of which aimed to empower citizens to reduce energy consumption and co-create smart solutions. Although these two projects are diverse in approaches and contexts, what unites them is a focus on citizen engagement, both face to face and digital. REMOURBAN has seen a “whole house” approach to retrofit in vulnerable communities to improve liveability through energy efficiency. User interaction and co-creation in eTEACHER has provided specifications for technical design of an energy saving App for buildings. eTEACHER findings reflect users’ energy needs, understanding of control interfaces, motivations for change and own creative ideas. Citizens were made co-creators in eTEACHER from the beginning through regular communication. In REMOURBAN, citizens had a role in the procurement and bidding process to influence retrofit project proposals. Findings can help LAs to engage demographically diverse citizens across a variety of buildings and communities for low carbon smart city development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communities Living Sustainably: Multiple Perspectives on Low Carbon Energy)

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19 pages, 6200 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Common Language of Sustainability for Built Environment Professionals—The Quintuple Helix Model for Higher Education

by Michael Crilly, Chandra Mouli Vemury, Richard Humphrey, Sergio Rodriguez, Tracey Crosbie, Karen Johnson, Alexander Wilson and Oliver Heidrich

Energies 2020, 13(22), 5860; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13225860 - 10 Nov 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3179

Abstract

One of the repeating themes around the provision of the knowledge and skills needed for delivering sustainable communities is the idea of a “common language” for all built environment professionals. This suggestion has been repeated regularly with each new political and professional review within and between different sectors responsible for the delivery of sustainable communities. There have been multiple efforts to address academic limitations, industry fragmentation and promote more interdisciplinary working and sector collaboration. This research explored the role of skills for sustainable communities, particularly within the higher education (HE) sector, and the responses to support the development of a “common language of sustainability” that can be shared between different sectors, professional disciplines and stakeholders. As an interdisciplinary group of academics and practitioners working with the HE sector in the North East of England, we evaluate the progression of sector collaboration to develop a quintuple helix model for HE. We use this as a suitable framework for systematically “mapping” out the mixed sector (academic, public, business, community and environmental organisations) inputs and influences into a representative sample of HE degree modules that are delivered from foundation and undergraduate to postgraduate levels, including examples of part-time and distance-learning modules. We developed a cascade of models which demonstrate increasing levels of collaboration and their potential positive impact on the effectiveness of education on sustainable communities. The methodological assessments of modules were followed by semi-structured group reflective analysis undertaken through a series of online workshops (recorded during the Covid19 lockdown) to set out a collective understanding of the generic skills needed for the delivery of sustainable communities. These generic skills for sustainable communities are presented as a pedagogical progression model of teaching activities and learning outcomes applied to the levels within HE. We propose sustainability education principles and progressions with the hope that they can have an impact on the design or review of current degree modules and programmes. The paper informs future sustainability research to be grounded in holism and systems thinking; better understanding of values, ethics, influencing and political impact; and procedural authenticity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communities Living Sustainably: Multiple Perspectives on Low Carbon Energy)

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21 pages, 3693 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Drivers for and Barriers to the Take up of Floating Offshore Wind Technology: A Comparison of Scotland and South Africa

by Kubiat Umoh and Mark Lemon

Energies 2020, 13(21), 5618; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13215618 - 27 Oct 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5224

Abstract

Offshore wind could both play a significant role in decarbonising the global energy system and supporting the energy needs of cities. Recent trends in offshore wind have seen the installation of turbines in deeper and more remote waters due to the presence of stronger and more consistent wind resources. This has led to the development of floating foundations for turbine mounting in water depths above 40 m, where conventional bottom-fixed foundations are not considered economically feasible. However, due to its emerging nature, floating wind must attain market maturity to be considered cost competitive. It is a widely accepted belief that market expansion yields technological maturity. Therefore, this paper adopts a systems approach to investigate the viability of floating offshore wind power generation in Scotland and South Africa. It does this through a content analysis of relevant secondary documentation, including policy documents, industry reports, press releases, online publications, and databases to determine the drivers and barriers of floating wind in the case contexts. The key findings are that substantial technical potential is required to attract floating wind investments, political support is necessary in order to scale up, a strong offshore wind supply chain could cushion the high-cost effects of floating wind projects, and more innovative business models such as corporate Power Purchasing Agreements could serve as social drivers for such projects. The main contextual conclusions drawn from this paper are that Scotland’s inaugural floating wind projects benefitted from the Scottish government’s Renewable Obligation scheme, however its discontinuation threatens the prospects of future projects. Alternatively, South Africa’s technical potential, coupled with its government’s healthy appetite for renewable energy development, could see the take up of this technology in the near future, with corresponding benefits for more sustainable energy in densely populated areas, compliant with SDG 7. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communities Living Sustainably: Multiple Perspectives on Low Carbon Energy)

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20 pages, 1196 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Supporting Decentralised Energy Management through Smart Monitoring Systems in Public Authorities

by Graeme Stuart and Leticia Ozawa-Meida

Energies 2020, 13(20), 5398; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13205398 - 16 Oct 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2159

Abstract

Energy infrastructure in large, multi-site organisations such as municipal authorities, is often heterogeneous in terms of factors such as age and complexity of the technology deployed. Responsibility for day-to-day operation and maintenance of this infrastructure is typically dispersed across large numbers of individuals and impacts on even larger numbers of building users. Yet, the diverse population of stakeholders with an interest in the operation and development of this dynamic infrastructure typically have little or no visibility of energy and water usage. This paper explores the integration of utility metering data into urban management processes via the deployment of an accessible “smart meter” monitoring system. The system is deployed in three public authorities and the impact of the system is investigated based on the triangulation of evidence from semi-structured interviews and case studies. The research is framed from three perspectives: the bottom-up micro-level (individual and local), the top-down macro-level (organisation-wide and strategic) and intermediate meso-level (community-focused and operation). Evidence shows that improved communication across these levels enables a decentralisation and joining-up of energy management. Evidence points to the importance of reducing the cognitive load associated with monitoring systems. Better access to information supports more local autonomy, easier communication and cooperation between stakeholders and fosters the conditions necessary for adaptive practices to emerge. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communities Living Sustainably: Multiple Perspectives on Low Carbon Energy)

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23 pages, 1154 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Scalability of Low Carbon Energy Communities in Spain: An Empiric Approach from the Renewed Commons Paradigm

by Ekhi Atutxa, Imanol Zubero and Iñigo Calvo-Sotomayor

Energies 2020, 13(19), 5045; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13195045 - 25 Sep 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2601

Abstract

Through the implementation of low carbon-based energy systems and participatory modes of governance, there are countless collective initiatives progressing towards a sustainable and resilient energy model. Local alternatives necessarily have to be able to scale in order to address global challenges. From the renewed paradigm of the commons, this empirical research provides a precise picture of the present scalability of these (self) transformative initiatives in Spain. Based on the identification and qualitative analysis of 18 of them via semi-structured in-depth interviews, the article explores their upper and lower limits; the importance of power distribution and citizen participation; the relational dimension of the scale; the upscaling forms and the role of public institutions. On the basis of the results obtained, the article finally presents recommendations aimed at strengthening this scalability of the energy commons. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Communities Living Sustainably: Multiple Perspectives on Low Carbon Energy)

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