Abstract
Microgeneration, the production of electricity at the level of individual buildings or small local communities, has recently enjoyed increasing attention from politicians and energy analysts. A more decentralized or distributed electricity generation system could contribute to a transition towards a more sustainable energy system. Compared to the traditional electricity system based on fossil fuels and nuclear energy, microgeneration can in many circumstances reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions when it replaces fossil fuels by renewable fuels, and also by increasing total efficiency through the combined generation of heat and power in small cogeneration units. In addition, generation of power close to the point of use could reduce power transport over long distances and thereby increase the overall efficiency of the electricity system and reliability of power supply. Finally, microgeneration can increase consumers’ choice about their energy provision and potentially improve overall competition (Pehnt et al. 2006).
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Notes
- 1.
BWEA’s name changed to RenewableUK in March 2010.
- 2.
Energy policy in the UK is now handled by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), which was created in October 2008. Prior to that energy policy was with the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR). BERR is now the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), created in June 2009.
- 3.
- 4.
Personal communication with Solar Trade Association, 18/11/2009
- 5.
Personal communication with Renewable Energy Association, 18/11/2009.
- 6.
In general, public RD&D spending is difficult to measure with accuracy. This is due to different interpretations by different bodies and/or countries about which activities fit with the scope of RD&D. Reporting of figures to international bodies such as the International Energy Agency rarely cover all RD&D spending. For example, spending by the Carbon Trust (a public body) is excluded.
- 7.
Calculated with an average exchange rate (May 2010) of 1.16675 EUR per one British Pound.
- 8.
ASUE (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für sparsamen und umweltfreundlichen Energieverbrauch) is a working group for an economic and environmentally sound energy use.
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Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge funding from the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) and from the UK Economic and Social Research Council. We would also like to thank the reviewers and colleagues who commented on previous drafts of this chapter.
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Praetorius, B., Martiskainen, M., Sauter, R., Watson, J. (2012). Microgeneration in the UK and Germany from a Technological Innovation Systems Perspective. In: Jansen, D., Ostertag, K., Walz, R. (eds) Sustainability Innovations in the Electricity Sector. Sustainability and Innovation. Physica-Verlag HD. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7908-2730-9_7
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