Moral values as factors for social acceptance of smart grid technologies

Christine Milchram*, Geerten van de Kaa, Neelke Doorn, Rolf Künneke

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

45 Citations (Scopus)
85 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Smart grid technologies are considered an important enabler in the transition to more sustainable energy systems because they support the integration of rising shares of volatile renewable energy sources into electricity networks. To implement them in a large scale, broad acceptance in societies is crucial. However, a growing body of research has revealed societal concerns with these technologies. To achieve sustainable energy systems, such concerns should be taken into account in the development of smart grid technologies. In this paper, we show that many concerns are related to moral values such as privacy, justice, or trust. We explore the effect of moral values on the acceptance of smart grid technologies. The results of our systematic literature review indicate that moral values can be both driving forces and barriers for smart grid acceptance. We propose that future research striving to understand the role of moral values as factors for social acceptance can benefit from an interdisciplinary approach bridging literature in ethics of technology with technology acceptance models.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2703
Number of pages23
JournalSustainability
Volume10
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Keywords

  • Smart energy
  • Smart grid
  • Sustainability
  • Technology acceptance
  • Technology adoption
  • Values
  • OA-Fund TU Delft

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