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Wiring Power : Empowering Energy Democracy and New Actor Roles in the Smart Electric Grid

Kojonsaari, Anna-Riikka LU (2025)
Abstract
The global energy transition is not merely a technological shift toward renewable energy but also a transformation of power structures, agency, and governance. As nations and cities implement sustainable energy solutions, both traditional energy actors and new entrants are reshaping participation in the energy sector. Within this evolving context, the smart grid emerges as an arena where these dynamics unfold.
This thesis examines five local smart electricity grid cases in Sweden, including two urban smart grid projects, two energy community initiatives, and a local flexibility market demonstration project. Using qualitative methods, including participant observation, interviews, document analysis, and literature reviews, the study... (More)
The global energy transition is not merely a technological shift toward renewable energy but also a transformation of power structures, agency, and governance. As nations and cities implement sustainable energy solutions, both traditional energy actors and new entrants are reshaping participation in the energy sector. Within this evolving context, the smart grid emerges as an arena where these dynamics unfold.
This thesis examines five local smart electricity grid cases in Sweden, including two urban smart grid projects, two energy community initiatives, and a local flexibility market demonstration project. Using qualitative methods, including participant observation, interviews, document analysis, and literature reviews, the study provides an in-depth exploration of the barriers and drivers encountered by professional actors in local smart grid development. The analysis reveals several barriers for professionals working with smart grid development, such as regulatory constraints, financial uncertainties, and role conflicts. Key enabling factors, on the other hand, include municipal leadership, organizational champions, aggregator support, the acknowledgment of timing, and windows of opportunity in the energy planning processes. The role of a missing stakeholder group—the citizens—is also discussed, as is how the stakeholders' different interpretations of "smart grids" can lead to different project outcomes. (Less)
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author
supervisor
opponent
  • Prof. Moe Skjølsvold, Tomas, NTNU, Norway.
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
smart grid, socio-technical systems, energy governance, decentralization, energy democracy, actor roles
pages
164 pages
publisher
The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
defense location
Auditorium, International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, Tegnérsplatsen 4, Faculty of Engineering LTH, Lund University, Lund
defense date
2025-04-25 13:00:00
ISSN
1402-3016
ISBN
978-91-988626-2-1
978-91-988626-3-8
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d666fc09-daf5-43d4-a829-b77d67605a9b
date added to LUP
2025-03-26 13:58:25
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:52:24
@phdthesis{d666fc09-daf5-43d4-a829-b77d67605a9b,
  abstract     = {{The global energy transition is not merely a technological shift toward renewable energy but also a transformation of power structures, agency, and governance. As nations and cities implement sustainable energy solutions, both traditional energy actors and new entrants are reshaping participation in the energy sector. Within this evolving context, the smart grid emerges as an arena where these dynamics unfold.<br/>This thesis examines five local smart electricity grid cases in Sweden, including two urban smart grid projects, two energy community initiatives, and a local flexibility market demonstration project. Using qualitative methods, including participant observation, interviews, document analysis, and literature reviews, the study provides an in-depth exploration of the barriers and drivers encountered by professional actors in local smart grid development. The analysis reveals several barriers for professionals working with smart grid development, such as regulatory constraints, financial uncertainties, and role conflicts. Key enabling factors, on the other hand, include municipal leadership, organizational champions, aggregator support, the acknowledgment of timing, and windows of opportunity in the energy planning processes. The role of a missing stakeholder group—the citizens—is also discussed, as is how the stakeholders' different interpretations of "smart grids" can lead to different project outcomes.}},
  author       = {{Kojonsaari, Anna-Riikka}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-988626-2-1}},
  issn         = {{1402-3016}},
  keywords     = {{smart grid; socio-technical systems; energy governance; decentralization; energy democracy; actor roles}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Wiring Power : Empowering Energy Democracy and New Actor Roles in the Smart Electric Grid}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/212383049/Avhandling_Anna-Riikka_Kojonsaari_LUCRIS.pdf}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}