Renewable Energy Seen through the Lens of Social Science

“The title is fancy, but the project is relatively simple,” Sovacool said. “Distributed generation, or DG technologies, refers to small, decentralized power generators that make electricity close to the point of consumption. They include renewable energy resources like wind turbines and photovoltaic (solar) panels, but also small non-renewable resources like fuel cells, micro-turbines, and reciprocating engines.”

In response, Sovacool says, “It turns out that a host of social and technical factors, rather than only technical issues, prevent the use of DG/renewable technologies. These socio-technical impediments include things like utility preferences, business practices, and consumer attitudes.”

br/> renewableenergyaccess