Visions for our future regional electricity system: Citizen preferences in four EU countries

Mey F, Lilliestam J, Wolf I, Tröndle T (2024)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

iScience Elsevier

Book Volume: 27

Article Number: 109269

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109269

Abstract

As climate targets tighten, all countries must transition toward a renewable electricity system, but conflicts about generation and infrastructure deployment impede transition progress. Although the triggers of opposition are well studied, what people want remains understudied. We survey citizen preferences for a renewable electricity future through a conjoint analysis among 4,103 individuals in Denmark, Portugal, Poland, and Germany. With our study we go beyond the Likert scale survey approach specifically seeking trade-offs and contextualized preferences for regional electricity system designs. We show the importance of identifying both the “least preferred” and “most preferred” solutions and highlighting the possibility of identifying very different systems with identical utility. Lastly, our research actively bridges the divide between social aspects and techno-economic modeling, promoting their integration. We show that the most preferred system design in all four countries is a predominantly regional one, based on rooftop solar, communally owned, and not relying on transmission expansion.

Authors with CRIS profile

Johan Lilliestam Lehrstuhl für Sustainability Transition Policy

Involved external institutions

Forschungsinstitut für Nachhaltigkeit / Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) DE Germany (DE) Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) / Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich CH Switzerland (CH)

How to cite

APA:

Mey, F., Lilliestam, J., Wolf, I., & Tröndle, T. (2024). Visions for our future regional electricity system: Citizen preferences in four EU countries. iScience, 27. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.109269

MLA:

Mey, Franziska, et al. "Visions for our future regional electricity system: Citizen preferences in four EU countries." iScience 27 (2024).

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