Future energy services: empowering local communities and citizens

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the future prospects of innovative services linked to sustainable energy systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Service perspective is examined in the context of socio-technical transition and linked to the bottom-up and top-down social processes that foster sustainability. The foresight method applied is trend analysis.

Findings

Two groups of trends were identified: the trends driven by technological development and the trends focussing on societal, managerial and consumer issues. The former consists of renewable energy sources, hybrid solutions, smart grids and smart energy markets. The latter involves distributed energy production, demand response, optimisation of sustainability and the role of energy as an opportunity and as service. The study reveals that energy is increasingly understood as a comprehensive and tailor-made service solution for communities and individual households. Consumers will enter the energy market as active participants; it raises the need for many types of services.

Research limitations/implications

Deepening of understanding is required in several topics of this study, and more formal methods of foresight are needed to test the generalisability of its qualitative results.

Practical implications

More effective policy measures are needed for fostering new services and social and system innovations in the area of sustainable energy. Innovation management practices should be developed in these areas.

Originality/value

The paper aims to narrow the research gap linked to foresight in services by examining services in the area of sustainable energy systems – one of the “grand challenges” today.

Citation

Hyytinen, K. and Toivonen, M. (2015), "Future energy services: empowering local communities and citizens", Foresight, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 349-364. https://doi.org/10.1108/FS-08-2013-0035