Description
Energy systems in society’ addresses the challenges of placing consumers at the heart of the energy system. With generation and consumption increasingly embedded in our buildings and communities, greater social engagement in energy is inevitable and essential. This module will introduce you to the role individual behaviour and social structural issues play in delivering the energy transition. Substantively, the module will focus on technologies and energy systems, the performance of which is highly dependent on user behaviour. Both technology acceptance (social acceptance of energy infrastructure, as well as consumer acceptance of end-use technologies) and technology use (both of owned end-use technologies and energy services) will be addressed. The module will introduce you to key social science concepts, ranging from anthropology and psychology, through social psychology and behavioural economics, to social practice theory and other sociological theories. Throughout the module interdisciplinary and multi-method approaches to the analysis of socially dependent energy technologies will be emphasised, along with an emphasis on application of critical thinking skills.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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