Sol skinner på de rigeste:Ny undersøgelse undersøger, hvordan man gør solcelleanlæg levedygtig for alle

Mere statsstøtte med større fleksibilitet er nødvendig for at gøre solpaneler til en levedygtig mulighed for ældre husejere, studerende lejere og handicappede, advarer ny forskning fra University of Sussex Business School.

Forskningen opfordrer til politiske initiativer såsom skatteincitamenter og tilskud til at hjælpe med at sænke omkostningerne ved at installere solenergi i kvarterer med store afsavn. Akademikerne anbefaler at udvide de seneste rentefrie lånesystemer til elbiler for at inkorporere installationen af ​​solcellepaneler som en del af mere fleksible politikker, der adresserer forskellige soludfordringer, som forskellige husholdninger oplever.

Udvidelse af forretningsmodeller for delt ejerskab, herunder kooperativer eller kommunalt ledede ordninger, der tilbyder solenergiudbredelse og vedligeholdelse til hjem, der ikke er i stand til at betale, vil hjælpe studerende, lejere og ikke-husejere til også at drage fordel af solcelleanlægget, anbefaler papiret offentliggjort i dag i tidsskrift Energipolitik. Mens eksisterende ordninger blev hilst velkommen af ​​husholdninger for at hjælpe solcelleanlæg med at blive udrullet, identificerede undersøgelsen efterfølgende problemer, som fremhæver behovet for en genovervejelse af disse politikker for at sikre, at de er opmærksomme på nye uligheder.

Undersøgelsen identificerede, at husstande oplever at leve med solcelleanlæg på ganske forskellige måder og ikke altid fik det maksimale udbytte. Undersøgelsen identificerede nogle husejere, der brugte deres solenergiproduktion til at retfærdiggøre øget brug af elektriske apparater såsom tv, tørretumblere om sommeren og boblebade. Forskerne foreslår, at progressive energitakster eller skærme i hjemmet, som en del af en pakke af bredere energibevidsthed og efterspørgselsreduktionsforanstaltninger, kan hjælpe med at afskrække denne rebound-adfærd.

Forfatterne identificerede behovet for politikker, der imødekom udfordringerne med vedligeholdelse, reparation, fjernelse og genfremstilling af solcelleanlæg og ikke kun deres installation, herunder udvidet producentansvar og tilbagetagelsesordninger for ødelagte eller pensionerede solsystemer for at tackle et voksende affaldsproblem i industrien .

Derudover slår forskerne til lyd for, at foranstaltninger til at gøre PV mere retfærdig og cirkulær vil adressere uligheder ud over at gavne husholdningerne og nå tilbage til forsyningskæderne. Undersøgelsen anbefaler strenge industristandarder for gennemsigtighed i forsyningskæden, herunder ændringer til Modern Slavery Act 2015 for at målrette mod alle kulstoffattige teknologier for at sikre, at overgangen til en kulstoffattig økonomi i Storbritannien ikke er direkte forbundet med dårlig, ulovlig eller umenneskelig arbejdspraksis inden for globale solenergiforsyningskæder.

Benjamin K Sovacool, professor i energipolitik i Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) ved University of Sussex Business School, sagde:

"Vores undersøgelse finder, at brugen af ​​solenergi kan forværre uligheder på mange forskellige måder, herunder tilgængeligheden for forskellige grupper af mennesker og afhængigt af, om man lejer eller ejer deres hjem. Der er også forskelle i forhold til, hvor folk bor i Storbritannien og tilgængeligheden. of a skilled workforce or infrastructure to support solar power, inequity in the way that pollution and waste can impact nature, and a generational imbalance in the future burdens of maintenance and repair and rebounds in energy consumption.

"Our study uncovers previously unexplored inequities, notably the dominance of patriarchal figures in making decisions and having control over household energy, the exclusion of the elderly, student renters, or the disabled, the temporal risk of breakdowns and unexpected failures, and qualitative explanations for solar rebounds."

Dr. Marie Claire Brisbois, Senior Lecturer in Energy Policy in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex Business School, said:

"With solar power predicted to grow 30-fold by 2050 and with the potential to meet more than half the globe's electricity demand by the start of the next decade, it is vital that no section of society is left behind in this energy revolution."

The study centered around a novel framework looking at demographic inequities (between groups), spatial inequities (across geographic scales), interspecies inequities (between humans and non-humans), and temporal inequities (across present and future generations).

The researchers analyzed the experience of solar inequities amongst a small sample of early adopters and residents in Brighton and Hove (ranking 205th out of 391 UK local authorities reporting PV installations) to understand how their experiences compared with injustices detailed in research literature and how these experiences might inform policies for a more socially just future rollout of solar PV.

The study identified social awareness of inequities amongst hosts of solar PV systems, and outlines measures that can be taken within solar policy and strategy to improve the justness of future deployments.

• Demographic inequities, such as unfair adoption patterns within social groups often categorized by gender, income, age, or race, can be partially remedied by cheaper, smaller systems or shared ownership business models.
• Spatial inequities, such as lack of access to clean air in local environment, can be offset by targeted skills training or policy incentives that seek to even out geographic adoption patterns.
• Interspecies equity, including the destruction of ecosystems, habitats, and extinction of non-human species, can be addressed by more sustainable extraction of solar PV's raw minerals or stronger recycling and waste requirements.
• Temporal inequities, such as shifting burdens onto future generations or issues of intergenerational equity, can be addressed through innovations in technology (especially inverters &via recycling PV materials) and extended producer responsibility.

Adrian Smith, Professor of Technology and Society in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex Business School, said:

"Our fossil-fueled energy systems have already caused iniquitous climate change impacts; policy-makers need to make sure measures for rolling out alternatives, like solar energy, realize their potential for more sustainable and just outcomes."

Dr. Max Lacey-Barnacle, Research Fellow in Just Transitions in the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex Business School, said:

"The recent announcement by the UK Government around increasing energy security through greater deployment of renewables features an aim to triple the amount of solar power in the UK by 2030.

"In light of this announcement, solar advocates, manufacturers, and policymakers can least afford to ignore the mounting justice issues associated with current patterns of adoption, particularly if this pace of adoption is tied to increasing energy security concerns. Through directly addressing or acknowledging some of the inequities we have outlined in our paper, policymakers can facilitate future solar schemes that may foster greater social acceptance and enhance more equitable outcomes."