In the energy sector, the end-user role is changing from passive consumer to active co-provider with de-centralized technologies. This presentation elaborates what kind of forms of active energy usership emerge with renewable micro-generation. The author draws from and contributes primarily to research on energy consumption, social shaping of technology, and user innovation research. The key findings demonstrate how homeowners have an evolutionary approach in building and configuring residential energy systems which should be recognized in energy policy and design. Flexibility to adapt to changes is an important factor and it fosters sustainable development pathways and proliferation of renewable energy generation in households. This presentation is based on doctoral thesis work which has been recently submitted for pre-examination in Aalto University School of Business Organization and Management discipline.

1. The Active Energy Citizen:
User Innovation, Prosumption and
New Energy Communities in
Renewable Micro-Generation
Jouni K. Juntunen

2. Outline
• Background
• Research Question
• Dataset
• Original Research Papers
• Implications

3. Background
• Changing energy sector
– The end-user role is changing from passive consumer to active
co-provider with de-centralized technologies
– New forms of collaboration and active engagement with
technology emerging
• Technological change
– Not just matter of R&D
– Understanding how technology is taken into use, used,
appropriated or abandoned can become critical in proliferation
– Knowledge of the different roles of end-users in energy
technology diffusion processes could help product and service
development, energy policy and consequently enhance the
adoption rate of low carbon energy technologies

4. Socio-
Technical
Understanding
of Active
Energy
Engagement
Energy
Technology
Studies
Micro-
Generation
Aim of the research

5. Research Question
What kind forms of active energy usership emerge with
renewable micro-generation?

6. Socio-technical
Configurations
Domestication and
active consumption
of Technology
User Innovations
Internet
Communities
Key Insights
Users of
technologies create
configurations to
meet certain
specific
requirements.
Walker and Cass
(2007) have
developed generic
theoretical socio-
technical
framework that
includes both
technological and
organizational
aspects making
visible the
multitude of
configurations
around the
renewable energy
deployments.
The domestication
framework has been
used to study
adaptation processes
where technology
becomes part of
everyday life.
Mainly used for ICT
technologies, but also
for other
technologies.
Individuals or groups
of ‘creative
consumers’ and ‘craft
consumers’ adapts,
modifies, or
transforms off-the-
shelf products and
use these as raw
materials for creating
a new product for
own use.
User Innovation is
reported in various
fields.
The proportion of
user innovations
can vary from next
to none to up to
80% found in
surgical
instruments.
Inventions by users
tend to be highly
concentrated on
few user inventors,
typically
representing less
than 0.1% of total
user population.
Inventive users tend
to get help from
their peers, and this
help is often vital
for realizing their
designs.
Research on peer
networks has been
active, including
open source
development,
crowdsourcing, and
variations of the
open design
movement.
In many domains
innovating users are
deeply embedded in
communities of
practice or have
organized design-
oriented networks

7. Socio-technical
Configurations
Domestication and
active consumption of
Technology
User Innovations
Internet
Communities
Research gaps
in micro-
generation
context
Analytical practical
tools for analyzing
socio-technical
configurations
require development.
A review on socio-
technical
configurations
specifically on micro-
generation that
makes visible
richness and diversity
of micro-generation
technologies and
deployment models is
scarce.
Processes taking place
during the active use of
micro-generation
technologies are not
exhaustively analyzed.
The domestication and
active consumption
frameworks have not
been applicable for
infrastructural
consumption and
centralized energy
generating technologies.
Decentralization of
generation opens up
new research
possibilities.
A detailed
examination of users’
inventions on micro-
generation has not
been done to reveal
where in the technical
system in question
inventive user
modifications are
accomplished and
where not.
It is not well
understood how
capable the inventive
users are at their
technical
modifications of
renewable home-
heating technologies.
Research has focused
on location bound
energy communities.
CMC enabled new
communities,
particularly large user-
run online forums and
their role and support
for technology
adoptation and user
innovation have not
been studied.
Research
Questions
What forms of socio-
technical
configurations are
found in renewable
micro-generation?
What kind of technology
domestication and active
consumption processes
are involved with use of
micro-generation
technology?
How innovative users
of micro-generation
are and in what ways?
How user-run online
forums support
innovative activity?

8. Paper # Groups of interviewed people
No. semi
structured
interviews
Naturally occuring data
Paper A Review paper 0
Material from renewable
energy service and provider
websites, clean tech news
sites, reports.
Paper B
Air-heat-pump users (9), Solar
thermal collector users (7) micro-
wind users (5)
15
Three energy related user-
run online forums. 443
discussion threads.
Paper C
Air-heat-pump inventive users (13),
Air-heat-pump companies (2),
Ground-source-heat-pump inventive
users (9), Ground-source-heat-pump
companies (1), Wood pellet inventive
users (13), Wood pellet companies (2)
40
User-run online forum data.
1206 discussion threads.
Paper D
Air-heat-pump inventive users (13),
Air-heat-pump companies (2), Ground-
source-heat-pump inventive users (9),
Ground-source-heat-pump companies
(1)
25
User-run online forum data
,‘Own modifications and
improvements’ and technical
questions sections;
altogether, 447 discussion
threads.
Dataset

9. Dataset

10. Original Research Papers
• Juntunen, J.K. & Hyysalo, S. (under review in Renewable &
Sustainable Energy Reviews), ‘Renewable micro-Generation of
heat and electricity – Review on common and missing socio-
technical configurations’.
• Juntunen, J.K. (2014), ‘Domestication Pathways of Small-scale
Renewable Energy Technologies’, Sustainability: Science, Practice,
and Policy, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 1-15.
• Hyysalo, S., Juntunen, J.K. & Freeman, S. (2013), ‘User innovation
in sustainable home energy technologies’, Energy Policy vol. 55,
pp. 490-500.
• Hyysalo, S., Juntunen, J.K. & Freeman, S. (2013), ‘Internet forums
and the rise of the inventive energy user’, Science and Technology
Studies vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 25-51

11. lead user
hapless
user
local
expert
competent
user
non user
Paper B:
Processes of Becoming
Competent User
Paper C:
Creative Prosumer /
User Innovator
Paper A:
Technical and
Organizational
Components of Micro-
generation
Paper D:
Role of CMCs to support
Creative Prosumers
EngagementLevelwithTechnology
Knowledge
craft
consumer
new user

12. Socio-Technical Framework for Analyzing Micro-Generation
Paper A
Renewable micro-Generation of heat and electricity –
Review on common and missing socio-technical
configurations

13. Paper A
• Significant variations in socio-technical configurations
depending on technology
• Differences in technological characteristics have a direct
impact on operation and management needs
• Operation and management needs enable or hinder
proliferation of company-driven models and servicezation of
micro-generation
• 3rd party ownership (servicezation) may also hinder the
development of local energy autonomy
Review on common and missing socio-technical
configurations

14. Paper B
• Interlinked nature of renewable
energy diffusion
• Series of separate DET
investments are building
development trajectory where one
technology leads to the investment
of the other
• Can be conceptualized as
domestication pathways
Domestication Pathways of Small-scale Renewable
Energy Technologies

15. Paper C
• 105 inventions in heat
pumps
• 87 in wood pellet burning
systems
• System level design
• User modifications
• User hacks, add-ons,
relocating repurposing
User innovation in sustainable home energy
technologies

16. Paper D
• Majority of forum activities are
centered on scaling, purchasing,
maintenance, trouble shooting
and comparing of different
technology models
• DIY projects and exchange
between inventive users are a
minority phenomenon within the
forum
• The forums play a major role in
– obtaining help for user projects
– the transfer and learning of
thematic knowledge
– identifying and verifying points of
improvement
– accessing relevant services
– parts and tools
– boosting motivation
– spreading of user inventions
among peers
How user-run online forums support innovative
activity?

17. Implications

18. New Energy Communities with
Dispersed Structure
• In the community energy context, community is defined
as a local unit, which operates inside a limited
geographical area
• An energy community can also take a dispersed form
and still work collectively as a virtual community

19. Interlinked Technologies and
Domestication Pathways
• The use of the domestication framework (Paper B)
revealed a hybridization development and the gradual
development trajectories of housing energy systems
over time
• Methodological implications, outside the energy
technology domain
• Qualitative studies should look at innovation diffusion of
multiple technologies simultaneously
• In-depth understanding of technology development
trajectories and technology adaptations requires a
longitudinal research approach

20. Open Pre-configuration
• The traditional way of thinking of product creation in a firm-based
R&D department has been that the designer has in mind a specific
purpose and way of using a product (pre-configuration)
• The future development of socio-technical change is hard to
estimate
• However, in a DIY product owners can act against the original
vision and employ products in a manner other than that intended by
the manufacturers (re-configuration, de-configuration)
• Easy extendibility and hybridization of the system: importance of
modularity and multi-purposing of products.
• Policy implications: Towards Dismantled Lock-Ins

21. Air-Source-Heat-Pumps
Air-to-Water-Heat-Pumps
Exhaust-Air-Heat-Pumps
Ground-Source-Heat-Pumps
units
Lead Users Helping to Recognize
Reverse Salients

22. Power of Inclusive Participation
with Various Groups
• Study of user-run online forums indicates that company-
run online forum for a single brand is an artificial and
limiting approach from a user perspective
• E.g. craft consumption: the basic principle is using
several products as raw materials to create the new
• A product category type approach may support
development of user competences and lead to
increased customer satisfaction
• Different tools for different occasions: Online vs. real life
• Towards Open Dialogue with Citizens

23. Towards Increased Energy
Autonomy
• Utilities and third-party businesses have started to
provide micro-generation as energy services for
households (i.e. servicezation)
• These so-called third-party business models, including
leasing, PPA or combinations, have spread centralized
ownership to decentralized units of production
• Control and ownership of the production system
• How energy policy can support local ownership?

24. The End – The most
important message
• Government guarantee for micro-generation credit (a'la
study loan guarantee in Finland)
• Credit removes upfront payment / capital need
• Benefits both local houseowners and micro-ESCO
business

25. Thank you!
Original research papers can be downloaded
from:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jouni_
K_Juntunen