Smart technology needs smarter management: Disentangling the dynamics of digitalism in the governance of shared solar energy in Australia

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd This article argues that the need for a better understanding of socio-technical interactions in shared renewable energy systems (SRESs) is exacerbated by the relevance of digital technologies to their governance. Addressing the question of how the use of digital technology affect...

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Main Authors: Hansen, Paula, Morrison, Greg, Zaman, Atiq, Liu, Xin
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2020
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/77362
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author Hansen, Paula
Morrison, Greg
Zaman, Atiq
Liu, Xin
author_facet Hansen, Paula
Morrison, Greg
Zaman, Atiq
Liu, Xin
author_sort Hansen, Paula
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2019 Elsevier Ltd This article argues that the need for a better understanding of socio-technical interactions in shared renewable energy systems (SRESs) is exacerbated by the relevance of digital technologies to their governance. Addressing the question of how the use of digital technology affects system governance, this study applies the social-ecological system framework to a case study in Perth, Western Australia. The analysis finds that although the digital element enables the sharing of energy in the case study, it also increases the complexity of the social subsystem. While technology is often heralded as the solution, successful governance of digitally enabled SRESs may be more dependent on recognizing the importance and complexity of social interactions needed to manage the technology. The findings of the study are useful in developing and implementing appropriate governance mechanisms for SRESs in Australia and other parts of the world.
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publishDate 2020
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-773622020-02-17T03:42:28Z Smart technology needs smarter management: Disentangling the dynamics of digitalism in the governance of shared solar energy in Australia Hansen, Paula Morrison, Greg Zaman, Atiq Liu, Xin © 2019 Elsevier Ltd This article argues that the need for a better understanding of socio-technical interactions in shared renewable energy systems (SRESs) is exacerbated by the relevance of digital technologies to their governance. Addressing the question of how the use of digital technology affects system governance, this study applies the social-ecological system framework to a case study in Perth, Western Australia. The analysis finds that although the digital element enables the sharing of energy in the case study, it also increases the complexity of the social subsystem. While technology is often heralded as the solution, successful governance of digitally enabled SRESs may be more dependent on recognizing the importance and complexity of social interactions needed to manage the technology. The findings of the study are useful in developing and implementing appropriate governance mechanisms for SRESs in Australia and other parts of the world. 2020 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/77362 10.1016/j.erss.2019.101322 restricted
spellingShingle Hansen, Paula
Morrison, Greg
Zaman, Atiq
Liu, Xin
Smart technology needs smarter management: Disentangling the dynamics of digitalism in the governance of shared solar energy in Australia
title Smart technology needs smarter management: Disentangling the dynamics of digitalism in the governance of shared solar energy in Australia
title_full Smart technology needs smarter management: Disentangling the dynamics of digitalism in the governance of shared solar energy in Australia
title_fullStr Smart technology needs smarter management: Disentangling the dynamics of digitalism in the governance of shared solar energy in Australia
title_full_unstemmed Smart technology needs smarter management: Disentangling the dynamics of digitalism in the governance of shared solar energy in Australia
title_short Smart technology needs smarter management: Disentangling the dynamics of digitalism in the governance of shared solar energy in Australia
title_sort smart technology needs smarter management: disentangling the dynamics of digitalism in the governance of shared solar energy in australia
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/77362