Energy Research & Social Science最新文献

{"title":"Communication silos: A governance network approach to the offshore wind planning and permitting process","authors":"Tiffany Smythe ,&nbsp;Shannon Howley ,&nbsp;Emily Diamond ,&nbsp;David Bidwell","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104328","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104328","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effective communication about offshore wind and other new energy infrastructure is necessary to achieve nations' energy policy goals. It is also uniquely challenging, particularly in the United States, given the early stage of development and the multi-layered, multi-faceted offshore wind energy governance context. This paper applied a communication approach to the offshore wind energy governance network to assess how network attributes shape communication dynamics and challenges for two offshore wind developments in the northeastern U.S. We employed social network analysis and thematic analysis to characterize and analyze network structure and influential and missing actors, in order to understand communication patterns shaping these projects' planning and permitting. Whole network results revealed a low-density, decentralized structure, which elucidates thematic analysis findings of the network's unwieldiness and a communication vacuum problem. The network comprises one core and multiple peripheral clusters shaped by sector, geography and/or attitudes; this is supported by thematic analysis findings that communities are isolated in silos. The most influential actors were the two project developers and the lead permitting agency. However, thematic analysis results suggest they may not be performing bridging functions or facilitating information flow. Missing actors included Tribes, and sectors with lower influence included local governments, fishers, stakeholder groups, and scientific organizations. The network's unwieldiness may explain stakeholder isolation and limited engagement with key constituencies. Results inform multiple recommendations for research and practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"129 ","pages":"Article 104328"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145100218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"‘Doing ownership’ in sustainable energy innovation: The social embeddedness of microgrids in rural Pakistan","authors":"Ivano Scotti ,&nbsp;Reesha Arshad ,&nbsp;Rosanna De Rosa ,&nbsp;Hassan Abbas Khan ,&nbsp;Dario Minervini","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104334","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104334","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy access remains a critical issue in many rural areas of the Global South, where off-grid solutions are essential for addressing electrification challenges. This study examines the implementation of a solar-powered microgrid based on a prosumer model in three off-grid rural communities in Punjab, Pakistan. The research explores the socio-technical dimensions of energy access, focusing on the interplay between land ownership, social appropriation, and everyday energy practices. Using a research approach that integrates engineering data and qualitative sociological inquiry, the study highlights how decentralised energy systems can both empower communities and introduce new challenges. Findings indicate that while the microgrid enhances energy security and fosters community participation, it also interacts with pre-existing property relations and social structures, shaping patterns of technology adoption. Women, in particular, play a key role in managing energy resources, linking electrification to broader socio-economic aspirations such as education and micro-enterprise development. However, constraints related to financial sustainability, governance, and technological adaptation persist. The study underscores the importance of localized governance models, capacity building, and inclusive policy frameworks to ensure the long-term viability of community-based microgrids. By analyzing the social embeddedness of energy innovation, this research contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable energy transitions in the Global South.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104334"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145098475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the nexus of solar adoption, sustainability, and rural community development through the role of white commercial farmers: The case of Mkushi, Zambia","authors":"Hillary Chanda ,&nbsp;Eugene Mohareb ,&nbsp;Michael Peters ,&nbsp;Chris Harty","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104336","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104336","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Persistent rural energy poverty, weak institutional service delivery, and socio-environmental vulnerability continue to constrain equitable development in many rural settings. While decentralised solar technologies offer promising alternatives, their uptake remains uneven and poorly understood, particularly regarding the role of unconventional actors such as white commercial farmers (WCFs). This study addresses a critical research gap by exploring whether, and in what ways, WCFs facilitate solar photovoltaic (PV) adoption, foster environmental sustainability, and contribute to rural community development. Using a multi-sited qualitative case study in Mkushi and surrounding rural districts, the study engaged 16 in-depth semi-structured interviews with WCFs, 1 focus group discussion and 3 interviews with key stakeholders from the energy sector and government policy institutions. Findings reveal that WCFs are not passive economic agents but actively engage in energy transitions and socio-environmental governance. Their contributions span community infrastructure provision, informal solar finance, and conservation-oriented agricultural practices. WCFs also act as intermediaries between local communities and external actors, although their efforts are often constrained by affordability barriers, policy fragmentation, and institutional inertia. The study recommends strengthening cross-sector collaboration to integrate WCFs into national solar strategies, incentivising off-grid systems through land and infrastructure partnerships, and securing solar investments through community-driven security solutions. Furthermore, environmental stewardship programmes should be scaled and linked to energy policy through participatory frameworks. This research provides new insights into the intersecting domains of decentralised energy, agrarian development, and environmental transitions, offering practical and theoretical contributions to more inclusive and context-responsive rural energy policy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104336"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145098489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantifying minimum mobility and transport needs: The who, the where and the why","authors":"Marlin Arnz ,&nbsp;Zakia Soomauroo ,&nbsp;Vivien Fisch-Romito ,&nbsp;Jihoon Min ,&nbsp;Joel Millward-Hopkins ,&nbsp;Paul Natsuo Kishimoto ,&nbsp;Benigna Boza-Kiss ,&nbsp;Caroline Zimm ,&nbsp;Bas van Ruijven","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104306","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104306","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The concept of “sustainable consumption corridors” bridges two topics critical to assessing energy and transport systems: human wellbeing and planetary boundaries. However, large disagreements remain regarding how to define minimum, essential and decent levels of demand, which form the floor of such corridors. Aggregate approaches based upon distance travelled (e.g. passenger-kilometres) are insufficient, as they omit why people move. To address this gap, we build upon established theories of fundamental human needs and needs-oriented mobility research to define “decent mobility” as the condition when an individual can enact a set of trips that allow satisfaction of their needs, within their resources and capabilities. We explain how this definition unifies (i) individual capabilities and resources (time, money), (ii) available physical infrastructure and services, and (iii) socio-political contexts that shape personal freedom. We then operationalise and quantify decent mobility with a “persona” approach. We model two case studies with very distinct mobility systems – Switzerland and Mauritius – to illustrate the flexibility of the framework. They show which methods and data sources are required to consistently assess decent mobility of individuals, as well as travel time, distance, energy use, and emissions. Overall, the framework offers a method for evaluating present and future transport systems by putting human needs and their heterogeneity at the centre.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104306"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145098168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fighting fire with power: Willingness to pay for microgrids for wildfire mitigation in the Southwestern United States","authors":"E. Zuzia Vick","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104288","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104288","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wildfires can be caused by faulty powerlines and precautionary measures against this can result in lengthy outages. Microgrids are a solution to this problem by allowing for the main power lines to be shut off during periods of extreme weather conditions while minimizing load shedding. This analysis provides the first nonmarket valuation of microgrids in the context of wildfire prevention and adds to the relatively scarce body of knowledge on microgrid valuation in general. The analysis uses a combination of a referendum style dichotomous choice survey and wildfire incidence data. The results suggest a median willingness-to-pay (WTP) of $10.53 [CI: 7.43, 16.61] per month for 24 months for a microgrid providing indirect (wildfire likelihood reduction only) benefits, and $13.08 [CI: 8.88, 21.68] for a microgrid providing both indirect (wildfire likelihood reduction) and direct (providing electricity to the community during extreme weather events) benefits. From a policy perspective, it is important to have a measure of the WTP for microgrids and to understand how it is affected by the context in which they are framed. This information can inform policy about the potential environments for microgrid introduction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"128 ","pages":"Article 104288"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145098491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A perspective on the evolving plug-in electric vehicle landscape amid trade tariffs and strategic responses","authors":"Tamara L. Sheldon ,&nbsp;Rubal Dua","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104327","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104327","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Various explanations have been put forward for the recent slowdown in global plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales growth. Additionally, considerable uncertainty remains regarding future PEV adoption rates, given evolving consumer adoption incentives and newly announced Western tariffs on Chinese PEV imports. This study offers an expert opinion-based perspective on how the PEV landscape may evolve amid ongoing policy and market shifts. In particular, we survey PEV experts in the U.S., Germany, and China to explore (i) reasons behind Western tariffs; (ii) the potential strategic responses of Chinese and Western policymakers and automakers, and (iii) how the PEV market might evolve in the coming years given the global landscape. The surveyed experts attribute the recent slowdown in global PEV sales share growth to technological factors and a consumer preference for hybrids. They view Chinese automakers' expansion into western PEV markets as primarily driven by profit and market share considerations and less so by domestic factors. Experts anticipate that the tariffs will moderately reduce the price competitiveness of Chinese PEVs in the West and that China will likely seek ways to circumvent the tariffs. Additionally, they believe China's likely response will involve tariffs on non-vehicle goods and restrictions on partnerships within China. Rather than trade policies, experts identify the changing stringency of existing emissions regulations as the main non-technological factor expected to influence global and regional PEV sales shares in the coming 3–5 years. We find evidence of variation in expert opinions based on region of focus (China versus U.S./Germany).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 104327"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145019179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improved convenience or a cyber security threat? Public acceptance of mobility-as-a-service in Great Britain","authors":"Pegah Mirzania ,&nbsp;Nazmiye Balta-Ozkan ,&nbsp;Lorraine Whitmarsh","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104309","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104309","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines public perceptions of <strong>Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)</strong>—an emerging transport model that integrates multiple services such as public transit, ridesharing, and cycling into a single, user-friendly digital platform, offering travellers a comprehensive multimodal transportation solution. While MaaS is gaining traction, it remains a relatively new concept, and public understanding and acceptance are still developing. To explore this, we conducted four online focus groups in January 2024 with 24 participants from both urban and rural areas across Great Britain, including London, Greater Manchester, rural Exeter, and rural Norwich. Using the <strong>Technology Acceptance Model</strong> as a framework, we investigated factors influencing willingness to adopt MaaS, including practical concerns and digital trust.</div><div>Our findings indicate that adoption is influenced by location, technological familiarity, cost, and socio-demographic factors such as age. Participants in rural areas questioned the feasibility of MaaS in their local contexts. While concerns about data privacy and cyber security were not initially raised, once prompted, they emerged as important factors shaping trust and adoption. Based on these findings, we recommend that MaaS providers prioritise data security, transparency, and effective communication to support broader adoption. Incorporating security features into the core service design is also essential for building user trust and encouraging wider acceptance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 104309"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145047883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy system resilience: Formulating a guiding concept for energy policymaking","authors":"Johanes Narasetu Widyatmanto","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104332","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104332","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper aims to define energy system resilience (ESR) in a way that can guide energy policymakers in designing, maintaining, and improving energy systems. The concept of resilience has become increasingly popular in the last two decades. Particularly in energy system design, the term ESR – sometimes synonymously called energy resilience – often appears in academic works and public policy domains alongside themes such as energy sustainability, energy transition, etc. However, the literature rarely provides a normative goal for ESR, such that it is not sufficiently action-guiding for energy policymaking. In this work, we define ESR in a way that incorporates technical characteristics, socio-technical means, and an ethical goal. Beginning with the general conception of resilience as ‘bouncing back’, and tracing how resilience is used in energy systems, we then illustrate how ESR is used across the literature, analyse a selection of studies which provide explicit ESR definitions, and formulate a new comprehensive definition. Containing technical characteristics, socio-technical means, and an ethical goal, we define ESR as the readiness of an energy system to bounce forward amidst anticipated and unanticipated disruptions in order to provide a sufficient and stable energy supply through reliable engineering techniques, efficient management, and conducive social institutions. We then operationalise this comprehensive definition in energy policymaking. Finally, we provide a summary of this paper and indicate what might limit the impact of its findings, namely, that ESR is but one aspect to address in energy system design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 104332"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145047888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Why do consumers reject zero-emissions vehicles? Applying a comprehensive framework of resistance to Canadian car buyers","authors":"Zoe Long ,&nbsp;Jonn Axsen ,&nbsp;Viviane H. Gauer ,&nbsp;Taco Niet","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104297","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104297","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Most of the consumer research on zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) has focused on what motivates adoption. This study explores the concept of “ZEV resistance”: why consumers might not want to adopt ZEVs in the near- to long-term. Such resistance challenges governments seeking 100% ZEV sales. We develop a comprehensive conceptual framework that assesses functional, environmental, social influence, and status quo aspects of resistance, implemented via 43 questions in a survey of Canadian new vehicle buyers (<em>n</em> = 2555). Our analyses identify eight subcategories of ZEV perceptions. Regression and latent class choice analyses find that at least one aspect of all four categories is associated with ZEV resistance. First, functional aspects of resistance are primarily driven by perceived lack of benefits from ZEV usage (rather than purchase concerns). The second association is negative perceptions of pro-societal aspects, which include environmental impacts and moral norms towards ZEVs. Third is the perception that ZEVs do not convey social approval (whereas perceptions of ZEVs' commonality and inspirational qualities are less associated with resistance). The last association is satisfaction with the status quo of conventional vehicles (rather than opposition to change more generally). ZEV resistance is complex and linked to many varied dimensions of consumer perceptions, and if left unaddressed could be challenging for a smooth transition to 100% ZEVs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 104297"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145047887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gender challenges in just energy transition: The labour market perspective","authors":"Rosa Santero-Sánchez ,&nbsp;Belén Castro Núñez ,&nbsp;Víctor Martín Barroso ,&nbsp;Mª. Isabel Martínez Martín","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The energy transition presents a significant challenge with broad societal and economic implications, offering an opportunity for a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable energy system. However, its success hinges on addressing social, economic, and cultural challenges beyond technology. Achieving a just transition requires equal opportunities for men and women in gender-biased male-dominated activities, impacting women's career paths. This study examines women's roles in energy transition activities in Spain, identifying participation gaps with a focus on horizontal segregation. It firstly designs a theoretical framework and operational delimitation for the energy transition sector. The working hypothesis suggests negative biases against women, affecting their entry into the labour market and contributing to horizontal segregation. Initial analysis reveals the severe under-representation of women in these activities across the EU and Spain. A logit model is used to analyse gender differences in the probability of accessing employment, controlling for personal and environmental characteristics. Additionally, a gap decomposition methodology examines the impact of various factors on gender differences. Results from the econometric model focused in Spain suggest that once controlled for personal characteristics, women have a lower probability of being employed in energy transition, varying by occupation. This could be interpreted as a working environment that discriminates women with entry barriers associated with worker sex, including those related to horizontal segregation. This work contributes with a novel comprehensive operational delimitation of the energy transition sector, expanding beyond renewable energies to incorporate key areas from national and international investment programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"127 ","pages":"Article 104303"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}