This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are low-carbon innovations that decrease emissions in transportation. Understanding what drives individual propensity to choose EVs supports policymakers in shaping effective low-carbon mobility policies. Within the MOBSTER Interreg project, data were collected using a survey administered to residents in three Alpine cross-border regions—Canton Ticino (Switzerland), South Tyrol (Italy), and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (Italy)—and were analyzed with a logistic regression. This study reports on the relevant drivers of EV uptake, showing (i) that some sociodemographic attributes positively impact the propensity to choose an EV (e.g., young age and teenage children), (ii) that the presence and visibility of charging infrastructures are important, and (iii) that the role of tourism is not a driver of EV uptake. This study confirms that policies should consider sociodemographics, social practices, and physical infrastructures as playing roles in EV uptake. Future research should address the issue of access to low-carbon innovations for all.
Silvia Tomasi; Alyona Zubaryeva; Cesare Pizzirani; Margherita Dal Col; Jessica Balest. Propensity to Choose Electric Vehicles in Cross-Border Alpine Regions. Sustainability 2021, 13, 4583 .
AMA StyleSilvia Tomasi, Alyona Zubaryeva, Cesare Pizzirani, Margherita Dal Col, Jessica Balest. Propensity to Choose Electric Vehicles in Cross-Border Alpine Regions. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (8):4583.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSilvia Tomasi; Alyona Zubaryeva; Cesare Pizzirani; Margherita Dal Col; Jessica Balest. 2021. "Propensity to Choose Electric Vehicles in Cross-Border Alpine Regions." Sustainability 13, no. 8: 4583.
The current energy system is dealing with an increasing share of renewable energy that, because of its intermittent availability, can affect the effectiveness of the energy supply. To cope with the problem, buildings need to become energy flexible. According to the definition given by IEA EBC Annex 67, energy flexibility is the ability of a building to manage its demand and generation according to local climate conditions, user needs and grid requirements. Users of energy-flexible buildings play a crucial role for an effective implementation, thus user acceptance and proper behaviour are important factors. In order to understand the current level of awareness on the topic and the general acceptance of the users, this paper presents the results of a large-scale survey distributed in the office buildings of the Province of Bolzano (Italy). This study investigates the information, experience, beliefs, and desires of the building users (i.e., office employees) with concepts and technologies dealing with energy flexibility, such as smart grids, smart appliances, and smart meters. This study identifies (i) the main socio-demographic characteristics associated to the information and desires about energy flexibility in office buildings, and (ii) the main conditions of social acceptance of flexible energy usages. Although this work is focused on a specific user type (i.e., office workers in the Province of Bolzano) and the results cannot be generalized, the analysis offers an interesting insight on the user perspectives and acceptance on energy flexibility and can be easily replicated. The results can be used at local level to provide insights for policies and strategies to encourage building users to be more flexible.
Ilaria Vigna; Jessica Balest; Wilmer Pasut; Roberta Pernetti. Office Occupants’ Perspective Dealing with Energy Flexibility: A Large-Scale Survey in the Province of Bolzano. Energies 2020, 13, 4312 .
AMA StyleIlaria Vigna, Jessica Balest, Wilmer Pasut, Roberta Pernetti. Office Occupants’ Perspective Dealing with Energy Flexibility: A Large-Scale Survey in the Province of Bolzano. Energies. 2020; 13 (17):4312.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIlaria Vigna; Jessica Balest; Wilmer Pasut; Roberta Pernetti. 2020. "Office Occupants’ Perspective Dealing with Energy Flexibility: A Large-Scale Survey in the Province of Bolzano." Energies 13, no. 17: 4312.
With the aim of proposing recommendations on how to use social and territorial specificities as levers for wider achievement of climate and energy targets at local level, this research analyses territories as sociotechnical systems. Defining the territory as a sociotechnical system allows us to underline the interrelations between space, energy and society. Groups of municipalities in a region can be identified with respect to their potential production of renewable energy by means of well-known data-mining approaches. Similar municipalities linking together can share ideas and promote collaborations, supporting clever social planning in the transition towards a new energy system. The methodology is applied to the South Tyrol case study (Italy). Results show eight different spatially-based sociotechnical systems within the coherent cultural and institutional context of South Tyrol. In particular, this paper observes eight different systems in terms of (1) different renewable energy source preferences in semi-urban and rural contexts; (2) different links with other local planning, management, and policy needs; (3) different socio-demographic specificities of individuals and families; (4) presence of different kinds of stakeholders or of (5) different socio-spatial organizations based on land cover. Each energy system has its own specificities and potentialities, including social and spatial dimensions, that can address a more balanced, inclusive, equal, and accelerated energy transition at the local and translocal scale.
J. Balest; L. Secco; Elena Pisani; G. Garegnani. Municipal transitions: The social, energy, and spatial dynamics of sociotechnical change in South Tyrol, Italy. Energy Research & Social Science 2019, 54, 211 -223.
AMA StyleJ. Balest, L. Secco, Elena Pisani, G. Garegnani. Municipal transitions: The social, energy, and spatial dynamics of sociotechnical change in South Tyrol, Italy. Energy Research & Social Science. 2019; 54 ():211-223.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJ. Balest; L. Secco; Elena Pisani; G. Garegnani. 2019. "Municipal transitions: The social, energy, and spatial dynamics of sociotechnical change in South Tyrol, Italy." Energy Research & Social Science 54, no. : 211-223.
At the national scale, almost all of the European countries have already achieved energy transition targets, while at the regional and local scales, there is still some potential to further push sustainable energy transitions. Regions and localities have the support of political, social, and economic actors who make decisions for meeting existing social, environmental and economic needs recognizing local specificities. These actors compose the sustainable energy governance that is fundamental to effectively plan and manage energy resources. In collaborative relationships, these actors share, save, and protect several kinds of resources, thereby making energy transitions deeper and more effective. This research aimed to analyse a part of the sustainable energy governance composed of formal relationships between municipalities and public utilities and to investigate the opportunities to further spread sustainable energy development within a region. In the case study from South Tyrol, Italy, the network structures and dynamics of this part of the actual energy governance were investigated through a social network analysis and Bayesian exponential random graph models. The findings confirmed that almost all of the collaborations are based on spatial closeness relations and that the current network structures do not permit a further spread of the sustainable energy governance. The methodological approach can be replicated in other case studies and the findings are relevant to support energy planning choices at regional and local scales.
J. Balest; L. Secco; E. Pisani; A. Caimo. Sustainable energy governance in South Tyrol (Italy): A probabilistic bipartite network model. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 221, 854 -862.
AMA StyleJ. Balest, L. Secco, E. Pisani, A. Caimo. Sustainable energy governance in South Tyrol (Italy): A probabilistic bipartite network model. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 221 ():854-862.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJ. Balest; L. Secco; E. Pisani; A. Caimo. 2019. "Sustainable energy governance in South Tyrol (Italy): A probabilistic bipartite network model." Journal of Cleaner Production 221, no. : 854-862.
Jessica Balest; Elena Pisani; Daniele Vettorato; Laura Secco. Local reflections on low-carbon energy systems: A systematic review of actors, processes, and networks of local societies. Energy Research & Social Science 2018, 42, 170 -181.
AMA StyleJessica Balest, Elena Pisani, Daniele Vettorato, Laura Secco. Local reflections on low-carbon energy systems: A systematic review of actors, processes, and networks of local societies. Energy Research & Social Science. 2018; 42 ():170-181.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJessica Balest; Elena Pisani; Daniele Vettorato; Laura Secco. 2018. "Local reflections on low-carbon energy systems: A systematic review of actors, processes, and networks of local societies." Energy Research & Social Science 42, no. : 170-181.
Our study proposes to analyze from a social practice and behavioural economics perspective the factors that influence a mismatch between energy behaviour and retrofit efficacy in the context of social housing. Retrofit interventions not only have the potential of improving energy efficiency of buildings, but they also change the context in which individuals live, therefore improving their wellbeing at home. However, the surrounding social context might suggest some context-specific practices and cognitive biases that negatively influence energy behaviour, creating a gap between expected and actual energy performance. Addressing the context-specific practices and cognitive biases is especially necessary when it comes to social housing. Social housing neighbourhoods are not only low-energy efficient, but also socially vulnerable. This context might shape specific practices and make salient specific cognitive biases which require special consideration within an energy retrofit program. The ambition of this study is to understand the context-specific practices and cognitive biases that characterize the pre-refurbishment phase of a retrofit program and to identify the ones that can be used as behavioural and social levers to enhance retrofit efficacy. To this aim, we analyze the results of a questionnaire administered to the tenants of a social housing district through the lenses of social practice theory and behavioural economics. Our results show that analysing tenants’ behaviour through an interdisciplinary social science approach allows to identify a range of context-specific variables that can be used as levers to align behaviour to retrofit interventions.
Nives DellaValle; Adriano Bisello; Jessica Balest. In search of behavioural and social levers for effective social housing retrofit programs. Energy and Buildings 2018, 172, 517 -524.
AMA StyleNives DellaValle, Adriano Bisello, Jessica Balest. In search of behavioural and social levers for effective social housing retrofit programs. Energy and Buildings. 2018; 172 ():517-524.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNives DellaValle; Adriano Bisello; Jessica Balest. 2018. "In search of behavioural and social levers for effective social housing retrofit programs." Energy and Buildings 172, no. : 517-524.
Urban energy-district projects introduce outstanding technological innovation in buildings and energy systems increasing sustainability in city neighborhoods. Such projects generate additional co-benefits for the city beyond changes in physical elements and development of social and institutional relationships (e.g. local employment, environmental quality, public health, property values, innovation attitude, etc.). Since exceeding main declared goals or not always clearly foreseen in the early project phase, these co-benefits are often not properly understood and considered. However, only their explicit recognition will make possible their inclusion in the assessment of the whole project’s performance. From these considerations, this study faces the issue of engaging project partners in assessing co-benefits in order to consider a broad spectrum of relevant, positive effects in the evaluation process. Group knowledge and group thinking of this complex topic are investigated through the world café method, providing an atmosphere of trust and open discussions among participants. This empirical work lays the foundations to go beyond the mere economic measure as the sole criterion for assessing project effects, also including changes in end-user behavior and intangible assets.
Adriano Bisello; Tatjana Boczy; Jessica Balest. World Café Method to Engage Smart Energy-District Project Partners in Assessing Urban Co-benefits. Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions 2018, 521 -533.
AMA StyleAdriano Bisello, Tatjana Boczy, Jessica Balest. World Café Method to Engage Smart Energy-District Project Partners in Assessing Urban Co-benefits. Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions. 2018; ():521-533.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAdriano Bisello; Tatjana Boczy; Jessica Balest. 2018. "World Café Method to Engage Smart Energy-District Project Partners in Assessing Urban Co-benefits." Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions , no. : 521-533.
Optimized energy systems are achieved by an increase in energy efficiency in parallel with energy savings. SINFONIA is an FP7 European-funded project that aims to implement smart initiatives for optimized energy systems through deep-energy retrofit of social housing buildings in middle-size European cities (i.e., Bolzano, Italy). From a technical viewpoint, the project’s main challenge is facing retrofit interventions in inhabited flats; from a social one, the challenge is engaging tenants in the project to achieve an effective decrease in energy consumption through a change in energy use, behaviors, and practices. The bridge between technical and social viewpoints is created thanks to an engagement process of tenants that has the support of some tools, such as the smart-energy meter. The involvement of tenants in engagement activities and smart-energy meter interaction must necessarily account for their characteristics as social actors. A thorough description and analysis of tenants’ characteristics is therefore one of the most important starting points in such a research project. The aim of our work is to support experts in the design of smart-energy meters providing them with a methodology for the description and analysis of tenants’ characteristics and social contexts. We perform a cluster analysis on the socio-demographic data of tenants involved in the Bolzano SINFONIA case study, identifying three relevant clusters according to family characteristics. Our future research will focus on the design of smart-energy meters and the development of participatory and learning activities addressed to SINFONIA tenants in order to ensure energy savings.
Jessica Balest; Daniele Vettorato. Social Acceptance of Energy Retrofit in Social Housing: Beyond the Technological Viewpoint. Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions 2018, 167 -177.
AMA StyleJessica Balest, Daniele Vettorato. Social Acceptance of Energy Retrofit in Social Housing: Beyond the Technological Viewpoint. Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions. 2018; ():167-177.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJessica Balest; Daniele Vettorato. 2018. "Social Acceptance of Energy Retrofit in Social Housing: Beyond the Technological Viewpoint." Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions , no. : 167-177.
In the last decade, European attractive policies are favoring the construction of new run-off hydro-power plants. The realization cost of these plants is quite low in mountain areas thanks to small water discharges and high gross heads. For this reason, small rivers have been strongly exploited without considering an optimal use of the resource. Nowadays, available sites are often in areas with low accessibility and a greater specific cost of civil engineering works. However, during the planning of new small hydro-power plants, the dependency of physical, technical, legal and financial variable on space is often not assessed. The tool presented in this paper addresses this gap to support the planning of run-off-river plants. The method improves on previous approaches by (1) integrating all the legal, technical and financial analysis in a GIS tool, and (2) trying to validate the site-specific model with local knowledge. The tool is applied to the Gesso and Vermenagna valleys in the Alps. Information and data were collected and discussed with local stakeholders in order to improve the model results.
Giulia Garegnani; Sandro Sacchelli; Jessica Balest; Pietro Zambelli. GIS-based approach for assessing the energy potential and the financial feasibility of run-off-river hydro-power in Alpine valleys. Applied Energy 2018, 216, 709 -723.
AMA StyleGiulia Garegnani, Sandro Sacchelli, Jessica Balest, Pietro Zambelli. GIS-based approach for assessing the energy potential and the financial feasibility of run-off-river hydro-power in Alpine valleys. Applied Energy. 2018; 216 ():709-723.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiulia Garegnani; Sandro Sacchelli; Jessica Balest; Pietro Zambelli. 2018. "GIS-based approach for assessing the energy potential and the financial feasibility of run-off-river hydro-power in Alpine valleys." Applied Energy 216, no. : 709-723.