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Behavioural interventions are an important instrument in the energy-policy toolkit. However, researchers and policymakers should consider their own bounded rationality in these efforts.
The photovoltaics industry has grown remarkably in recent decades but as it has grown, quality assurance during the manufacturing and installation processes has become increasingly important. There is often a cultural divide between those who develop and those who implement the designs, motivating partnering of these efforts.
Increased local energy generation may offer a route to meet climate targets while empowering community groups, but care is still needed to support those vulnerable to energy system change.
In Aesop’s fable, a swift hare races with a deliberate tortoise. In the end, the tortoise wins by taking a slow and steady approach. We argue that, given the economic constraints on US deployment of nuclear power, a ‘tortoise strategy’ is more prudent for US government nuclear R&D efforts.
Negative emissions technologies face numerous challenges, from techno-economic hurdles to public acceptance concerns, but progress in research, collaboration and regulation provide indications that they may yet form part of future energy systems.
The lack of electrification in parts of the world leaves many healthcare facilities with inadequate power provision for even basic services. Pilot projects show that solar power can overcome this but, to expand further, more careful trials measuring health outcomes and better integration of energy and health policy are required.
Fuel poverty is a highly-complex social problem that is currently defined in technical and economic terms that prioritize energy performance measures as solutions. Yet considering the wider societal aspects of the condition demonstrates how adopting dynamic risk-based metrics can drive tailored and holistic folk-first outcomes.
The ability to collect fine-grained energy data from smart meters has benefits for utilities and consumers. However, a proactive approach to data privacy is necessary to maximize the potential of these data to support low-carbon energy systems and innovative business models.
