Moral values as factors for social acceptance of smart grid technologies

Review (2018)
Author(s)

Christine Milchram (TU Delft - Economics of Technology and Innovation)

Geerten van de Kaa (TU Delft - Economics of Technology and Innovation)

Neelke Doorn (TU Delft - Ethics & Philosophy of Technology)

Rolf Künneke (TU Delft - Economics of Technology and Innovation)

Research Group
Economics of Technology and Innovation
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.3390/su10082703
More Info
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Publication Year
2018
Language
English
Research Group
Economics of Technology and Innovation
Issue number
8
Volume number
10
Article number
2703
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233
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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.