by annalisagiannuzzi | Dec 5, 2024 | The Urban Media Lab
Annalisa Giannuzzi
In an era marked by climate crisis and accelerated urbanization, the shift towards a low-carbon economy is no longer a mere aspiration but an urgent necessity. Smart grids, or “intelligent” electricity networks, represent one of the advanced technological responses aimed at promoting energy sustainability. They offer a model capable of optimizing the distribution and use of energy through a dynamic and interconnected control system(i). Through the integration of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data analytics, these networks allow for bidirectional management of energy flows, transforming consumers into active participants in the system. In this new ecosystem, energy is not only consumed but also locally produced, contributing to a more resilient and participatory energy system. While smart grids offer innovative solutions, they are not the definitive answer to all global energy challenges. However, the adoption of these methods raises critical questions: can a simple technological leap resolve deep, systemic issues like energy justice, cybersecurity, and equitable access to resources? Smart grids promise to democratize energy by turning consumers into active producers (prosumers) and granting them access to the energy network(ii).
In reality, though, this potential for decentralization operates within a still heavily centralized framework, often controlled by large private companies or public entities. The promise of true democratization thus remains incomplete: although citizens can contribute to energy production, strategic decisions and decision-making power remain firmly in the hands of a few privileged actors(iii).
These intelligent networks require a complex digital infrastructure that, while enhancing the resilience and efficiency of the energy system, also introduces critical issues related to cybersecurity. Cyberattacks, such as data manipulation and blackouts caused by external intrusions, pose a real threat not only to the network’s reliability but also to national security and citizens’ privacy. These vulnerabilities, which could arise in the implementation of this model, bring up a crucial question: how can widespread and democratic access to intelligent energy be ensured without compromising data security and infrastructure? Addressing this issue requires an approach that goes beyond adopting technological solutions alone. Advanced technologies such as blockchain and encryption systems can be implemented as security standards, but they are not sufficient on their own(iv). It is essential to promote clear and integrated guidelines capable of balancing sustainability, technological innovation, and data protection a compass that can guide both major energy operators and individual prosumers.
Alongside the challenges related to cybersecurity, smart grids must also tackle the complexities of integrating renewable energies, such as solar and wind power. These sources contribute significantly to environmental sustainability, yet their intermittent nature complicates ensuring a stable energy supply(v). Meeting this need may require investments in storage infrastructure and advanced management systems that can anticipate and offset fluctuations in renewable production, thus guaranteeing a consistent and reliable distribution. Beyond technical aspects, smart grids offer consumers the opportunity to assume an active role in the energy system, encouraging responsible consumption practices and distributed energy production across various levels and actors. Consumers can monitor and manage their energy consumption independently, yielding positive effects in terms of both sustainability and economic savings for the entire system(vi).
Optimizing energy flows would not only reduce network losses but also enable better cost management, generating benefits for all stakeholders involved. On a global level, the adoption of smart grids raises important issues of social equity. Advanced economies, with their resources, are likely to benefit rapidly from these technologies, while developing countries risk being excluded, further widening the energy gap. To avoid such inequalities, international cooperation and financial support programs would be necessary, promoting not only technology sharing through open-source models but also specific training for disadvantaged communities. In addition to these complex challenges, the constant flow of data generated by smart grids risks creating an information overload, in which involved parties may struggle to interpret data, further diminishing the real value of this information(vii). In this sense, the development of simple and intuitive interfaces is crucial, alongside educational programs to enable consumers to use data effectively, actively, and consciously, without being overwhelmed. Finally, the environmental impact of smart grids cannot be overlooked. To ensure a truly sustainable approach, it will be necessary to adopt circular economy principles that encourage both recycling and reusing technological components while promoting an ecological and durable infrastructural design. Ultimately, smart grids represent a promising and advanced path to addressing the energy challenges of our time, offering a more equitable and participatory system. However, their implementation requires a constant and conscious commitment that goes beyond the adoption of new technologies. A holistic approach is essential, one that rethinks governance models, security, and social participation, placing sustainability and equity as central goals(viii). Only through the integration of advanced technology, clear regulation, and active participation can we build an energy system capable of meeting current needs and prepared to face the social, environmental, and ethical challenges of the future.
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References
(i) A. R. Gurrieri, G. Morelli, M. Mele, C. Magazzino, Gli smart meters, una misura di sostenibilità verde, 2023, Il Mulino – Riviste web.
(ii) S. Ghilardi, Comunità energetiche e smart grid, 2023, Persone, Energie, Futuro Infinityhub: la guida interstellare per una nuova dimensione dell’energia.
(iii) Ivi, i
(iv) G. Panattoni, Le Smart Connected Cities: i fattori di insicurezza e (s)fiducia dei cittadini, 2023, Il Mulino – Riviste web.
(v) A. Claudi De Saint Mihiel, La transizione energetica. Il ruolo delle smart gride delle tecnologie digitali, Innovazione e Sviluppo Industriale
(vi) Ivi, i
(vii) T. Alsuwian, A. Shahid Butt, A. Ahmed Amin, smart grid Cyber Security Enhancement: Challenges and Solutions—A Review, 2022, Sustainability
(viii) Ivi, ii
by annalisagiannuzzi | Jul 29, 2024 | The Urban Media Lab
Analyzing the habits and customs of contemporary society, it is evident that we are witnessing a transition in the energy supply model. Moving away from the traditional model based on centralized fossil fuel production, there is a growing trend towards the use of a distributed energy production system that prioritizes renewable energy sources and ensures greater energy efficiency. Issues such as climate change, decarbonization, and economic and social sustainability are not only current topics but also crucial controversies in public debate, involving the management of geopolitical balances and the consolidation of international alliances. The energy transition is no longer a matter of choice, but an urgent necessity to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change. It is “more than just a technological and political change; it also involves significant social and behavioral transformations that challenge historical narratives and accepted notions of democracy and the economy”(i). The construction of a new social organization model based on the production and consumption of energy from renewable sources, requires the direct involvement of citizens in the various processes of restructuring and managing the energy system. These profound transformations will lead, in the short and medium term, to the emergence of new social roles and responsibilities, which citizens might not automatically accept. This is because the necessary and desired change involves not just the mere replacement of unsustainable inputs with less polluting ones but also a conscious use of energy resources that implies the creation of new systemic approaches and paradigms. With this perspective, it becomes essential to develop operational strategies that can translate the proposed projects and development scenarios into reality, as the energy transition, to be concrete and efficient, requires innovative co-governance approaches.
The contribution of all social actors, on the topics of: energy transition, the fight against energy poverty and the governance of new energy models; imposes a paradigm shift, according to which, consumers are not only passive market customers, but become prosumers (ii), active subjects that produce value and energy for self-consumption, the circulation and sharing of resources, generating, as a consequence, a circular economy scheme, based on the binomial consumption-production, safeguarding of sustainable energy resources and reduction of fossil carbon emissions. This binomial has also received regulatory recognition following the approval of the RED II directive (iii). In this vision and mission, the concept of energy citizenship perfectly fits, positioning itself at the center of the debate on justice and the fight against energy poverty. Both themes correspond to different yet parallel problems. The recognition of the right to energy also aligns with the concept of energy justice. The latter, in its essence, aims to develop a universal energy system where costs and benefits are equally distributed through governance with democratic decision-making processes that promote and develop empowerment. This is precisely where the main issue lies. It is necessary to seek common solutions that are respectful and fair to the rights of the stakeholders involved to counteract energy poverty, understood as distributive energy inequality. Such a situation would imply not only the inability to see the interests of those with scarce energy resources represented in decision-making processes but also the inability to access energy information, effectively preventing the rightful assertion of their legal rights (iv). A holistic and systemic methodological approach conceived in this way would become an indispensable vector and turning point to facilitate collective participation in energy citizenship, not only to ensure equity but also to enhance the protection of all citizens’ interests regarding energy. Thus conceived, energy citizenship would act as a bridge between a complex technical-technological energy system and society, promoting active citizenship, embracing collective spaces for participation, and overcoming individualistic visions centered on energy technologies and personal consumer investments. Using a metaphor, the path towards energy citizenship could be depicted as a ladder with many rungs to climb, some of which are very unstable and need anchoring to safely reach the top. A practical example to achieve this ascent could be represented by the organizational model conceived by the GRETA – Green Energy Transition Actions project. It is a project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 program, aimed at facilitating the energy transition through the active participation of citizens, supported in asserting their right to energy towards a just and equitable transition. GRETA represents not only a project to reorganize the relationship between citizens and energy infrastructures but also a bottom-up observatory of the obstacles that actually constrain the implementation of energy and social citizenship (v).
Within the framework of the GRETA project is the EN-ACTION lab, a laboratory promoted by the Cesena Campus, which introduces virtuous action strategies on the educational approach for global behavioral change, not only directed and aimed at the energy transition but also student citizenship, so that more subjects of all ages become aware that real change is achieved through education and knowledge of the various aspects related to the energy system. The project examines the conditions and enabling factors for the creation and adoption of energy citizenship for a more sustainable future through a just transition process, without exclusions or imbalances, both at the individual and community level. The actions of this project were aimed at defining the enabling factors for the creation of energy citizenship, raising awareness and knowledge on energy issues, and initiating processes of sensitization and involvement of the entire citizenry and the entire urban territory. The urban energy transition process started from an innovative, bottom-up approach centered on the citizen, their economic and health needs, and their role in achieving collective energy goals. The laboratory was divided into several stages: (micro level), starting from raising awareness among students and citizens on energy issues and promoting awareness of the individual contribution, leading to the drafting of a manifesto for the practical and shared realization of the various initiatives. The creation of the manifesto proved to be a great stimulus, not only to generate value within the community but also to implement public-private co-design initiatives (meso level). The idea behind the manifesto is to create not just a mere declaration of intent but to provide communities with a concrete, operational tool to support not only the birth but also the growth of energy citizenship, providing technical and financial tools and creating synergies between the various actors involved (vi). The GRETA project, developed within the EN-ACTION lab, is still ongoing, but one of the main results obtained so far is the Community Transition Pathway, a document that offers guidelines for engaging communities in the creation of energy citizenship. The latter is based precisely on the idea that each of us can learn to use energy sustainably, without relying on decisions made from above by the major players in the sector. After analyzing the various results and through a step-by-step approach, it will be necessary to: (i) define the boundaries of the context and the community involved, map current policies on the energy transition, assess the community’s status and level of energy citizenship, understand the desire for participation based on available time, (ii) establish a future vision with short, medium, and long-term goals, aim for ambitious targets, facilitate the community in formulating them, and finally (iii) help the promoter and the community identify the correct transition path, considering all necessary steps to achieve the vision and established goals (viii).
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References
i Lennon, B., Dunphy, N. P., & Sanvicente, E. (2019), Community acceptability and the energy transition: A citizens’ perspective. Energy, Sustainability and Society, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13705-019-0218-z
ii M. Castellini, I. Faiella, L. Lavecchia, R. Miniaci e P. Valbonesi, Report annuale – anno 2023, Osservatorio Italiano Povertà Energetica.
iii Directive UE 2018/2001
iv Ibi, ii
v A. Boeri, D. Longo, S. O. M. Boulanger, M. Massari, Energy Citizenship Contract and European Cities Transition, AGATHÓN – International Journal of Architecture, Art and Design, 2024
vi C. Trippa, WP2 – Linee Guida per Azioni di Coinvolgimento della Comunità universitaria e del territorio, 2023
vii C. Trippa, WP1 – Mappatura delle buone pratiche e coinvolgimento della comunità universitaria in materia di transizioni energetiche, 2023
