Beyond technical smartness: Rethinking the development and implementation of sociotechnical smart grids in India
Beyond technical smartness: Rethinking the development and implementation of sociotechnical smart grids in India
Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 49, March 2019, Pages 158-168
Abstract
How smart grids are understood and defined will influence the kinds of smart grids users will encounter in the future and their potential impacts. Practitioners and policymakers largely perceive smart grids as technological interventions. However, a number of social, financial and governmental interventions can also make grids smart, i.e., more efficient, more responsive, more inclusive and more robust. Drawing on qualitative research done using elite interviews, site visits and document analysis of eight micro-grids in India, this paper provides concrete examples of what could be understood as social, financial and governmental smartness, and in doing so, broadens the knowledge on smart grids beyond the technical understanding.
This paper argues that social, financial and governmental interve…
Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 49, March 2019, Pages 158-168
Abstract
How smart grids are understood and defined will influence the kinds of smart grids users will encounter in the future and their potential impacts. Practitioners and policymakers largely perceive smart grids as technological interventions. However, a number of social, financial and governmental interventions can also make grids smart, i.e., more efficient, more responsive, more inclusive and more robust. Drawing on qualitative research done using elite interviews, site visits and document analysis of eight micro-grids in India, this paper provides concrete examples of what could be understood as social, financial and governmental smartness, and in doing so, broadens the knowledge on smart grids beyond the technical understanding.
This paper argues that social, financial and governmental interve…
