Background
To reduce the risks of climate change, we need to implement sustainable/ low-carbon energy technologies on a large scale and in a short time frame. As practice has shown, however, such energy projects often generate strong negative emotions and resistance, due to safety risks and other negative effects that people fear or experience such as procedural issues. A possible way of reducing conflict may be by making the projects as fair as possible by design. In order to do that, it is important to understand what citizens and professionals involved consider fair. In a MSc research project, you can contribute to increasing understanding of perceived fairness in the context of the energy transition by conducting one or a combination of the following research activities.
1. Interview citizens (and decision makers) about energy projects about perceived fairness.
2. Perform survey research about energy projects to gain an understanding into antecedents and consequences of fairness perceptions by the public.
3. Develop a multi-dimensional measurement for fairness judgments.
4. Perform experimental research on how specific characteristics of energy projects affect fairness.
Specific energy technologies that can be considered are for example wind parks, for which people fear health risks due to nuisance (lights, sounds) and geothermal energy projects (for which people may fear earthquakes, water pollution, explosions). Also solar parks, house refurbishments, etc. can be considered.
Research questions
1. What are reasons for people to support or resist a sustainable energy project?
2. Which fairness notions to people use when evaluating a sustainable energy project?
3. How can we design energy projects in a way that they are more accepted and considered fairer?
4. Which characteristics of sustainable energy technology projects lead to higher perceived fairness?
Type of research
The options are experimental, survey, or qualitative interviews depending on the research questions and preferences of the student.
Keywords
Fairness, energy transition, sustainability
Information
If you are interested in this topic, please contact Steven Watson via s.j.watson@utwente.nl.
Literature
Huijts, N. M. A. (2018). The emotional dimensions of energy projects: Anger, fear, joy and pride about the first hydrogen fuel station in the Netherlands. Energy Research & Social Science, 44, 138–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2018.04.042
Bal, M., Stok, F. M., Van Hemel, C., & De Wit, J. B. F. (2021). Including Social Housing Residents in the Energy Transition: A Mixed-Method Case Study on Residents’ Beliefs, Attitudes, and Motivation Toward Sustainable Energy Use in a Zero-Energy Building Renovation in the Netherlands. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 0, 25. https://doi.org/10.3389/FRSC.2021.656781