http://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/JDEnPolicyPt1.pdf

Providing all global energy with wind, water, and solar power, Part I: Technologies, energy resources, quantities and areas of infrastructure, and materials

Social science related disciplines, methods, concepts, and topics remain underutilized, and perhaps underappreciated, in contemporary energy studies research. To make this case, the article offers both quantitative and qualitative data. It begins with the quantitative part, providing a content analysis of 4444 research articles involving 9549 authors and 90,079 references (from a smaller subsample) published in three leading energy journals from 1999 to 2013. Within this vast sample, only 19.6 percent of authors reported training in any social science discipline, and less than 0.3 percent of authors reported disciplinary affiliations in areas such as history, psychology, anthropology, and communication studies. Only 12.6 percent of articles utilized qualitative methods and less than 5 percent of citations were to social science and humanities journals. The article then shifts to the qualitative part, where it proposes a variety of methodological and topical areas, along with 75 research questions, that could deepen and broaden energy research, connected in part to all of the articles in this special (inaugural) issue of Energy Research & Social Science (ERSS). Readers from all disciplines are encouraged to read it—especially the parts dealing with areas and concepts outside of their own areas of expertise.

What are we doing here? Analyzing fifteen years of energy scholarship and proposing a social science research agenda

Environmental and societal problems related to energy use have spurred the development of sustainable energy technologies, such as wind mills, carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen vehicles. Public acceptance of these technologies is crucial for their successful introduction into society. Although various studies have investigated technology acceptance, most technology acceptance studies focused on a limited set of factors that can influence public acceptance, and were not based on a comprehensive framework including key factors influencing technology acceptance. This paper puts forward a comprehensive framework of energy technology acceptance, based on a review of psychological theories and on empirical technology acceptance studies. The framework aims to explain the intention to act in favor or against new sustainable energy technologies, which is assumed to be influenced by attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control, and personal norm. In the framework, attitude is influenced by the perceived costs, risks and benefits, positive and negative feelings in response to the technology, trust, procedural fairness and distributive fairness. Personal norm is influenced by perceived costs, risks and benefits, outcome efficacy and awareness of adverse consequences of not accepting the new technology. The paper concludes with discussing the applicability of the framework.

/pdf/psychological-factors-influencing-sustainable-energy-z2tsrgq62e.pdf

Psychological factors influencing sustainable energy technology acceptance: A review-based comprehensive framework

https://web.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/Articles/I/DJEnPolicyPt2.pdf

Providing all global energy with wind, water, and solar power, Part II: Reliability, system and transmission costs, and policies

A series of weaknesses in creativity, research design, and quality of writing continue to handicap energy social science. Many studies ask uninteresting research questions, make only marginal contributions, and lack innovative methods or application to theory. Many studies also have no explicit research design, lack rigor, or suffer from mangled structure and poor quality of writing. To help remedy these shortcomings, this Review offers suggestions for how to construct research questions; thoughtfully engage with concepts; state objectives; and appropriately select research methods. Then, the Review offers suggestions for enhancing theoretical, methodological, and empirical novelty. In terms of rigor, codes of practice are presented across seven method categories: experiments, literature reviews, data collection, data analysis, quantitative energy modeling, qualitative analysis, and case studies. We also recommend that researchers beware of hierarchies of evidence utilized in some disciplines, and that researchers place more emphasis on balance and appropriateness in research design. In terms of style, we offer tips regarding macro and microstructure and analysis, as well as coherent writing. Our hope is that this Review will inspire more interesting, robust, multi-method, comparative, interdisciplinary and impactful research that will accelerate the contribution that energy social science can make to both theory and practice.

Promoting novelty, rigor, and style in energy social science: towards codes of practice for appropriate methods and research design

http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/sahyadri_enews/newsletter/issue45/bibliography/Social%20acceptance%20of%20renewable%20energy%20innovation%20an%20introduction%20to%20the.pdf

Social acceptance of renewable energy innovation: An introduction to the concept

http://www.nea.is/media/orkustefnunefnd/Burer+Wustenhagen+2009.pdf

Which renewable energy policy is a venture capitalist's best friend? Empirical evidence from a survey of international cleantech investors

https://arodes.hes-so.ch/record/4010/files/Preprint.pdf

Use cases for blockchain in the energy industry opportunities of emerging business models and related risks

The energy industry is a typical example of a heavily regulated industry, and particularly large incumbent energy firms have developed significant expertise in non-market strategies (or corporate political activity). New entrants to the energy industry, such as clean energy technology ventures, are also exposed to regulatory risk (and opportunity), but they do not have the means to engage in non-market strategies to a similar extent as large incumbent firms. On the other hand, the success of investments in these firms significantly depends on managing regulatory risk. However, little is known empirically about how venture investors perceive energy policy risk and what they do to manage it.
Based on a survey among 60 venture capital firms in Europe and North America, we attempt to close this gap in the current literature. We build on our survey data to develop a typology of regulatory risk management strategies adopted by these investment firms.

/pdf/cleantech-venture-investors-and-energy-policy-risk-an-4pivk0ukm9.pdf

Cleantech Venture Investors and Energy Policy Risk: An Exploratory Analysis of Regulatory Risk Management Strategies

Increased frequency and intensity of storm activity combined with sea level rise is expected to worsen problems of beach erosion and cliff under-cutting. This is a serious issue for coastal road and rail systems, as well as California's system of levees. Warmer winter temperatures will lead to more precipitation falling as rain rather than snow. Increased runoff during the winter and spring months will increase the risk of flooding and landslides. Events such as the Mill Creek landslide along Highway 50 in January 1997 may become more common. Other potential climate impacts on the transportation sector in California are discussed in this paper, which concludes with a review of existing and potential climate change mitigation strategies for California's transportation sector.

Mary Jean Bürer

Papers

Social acceptance of renewable energy innovation: An introduction to the concept

Which renewable energy policy is a venture capitalist's best friend? Empirical evidence from a survey of international cleantech investors

Use cases for blockchain in the energy industry opportunities of emerging business models and related risks

Cleantech Venture Investors and Energy Policy Risk: An Exploratory Analysis of Regulatory Risk Management Strategies

Climate change and the potential implications for california's transportation system