{"id":26969,"date":"2023-10-16T13:36:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T11:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartinnovationnorway.com\/no\/?p=26969"},"modified":"2023-10-19T13:52:32","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T11:52:32","slug":"creating-energy-warriors-to-fight-for-a-greener-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartinnovationnorway.com\/en\/nyheter\/creating-energy-warriors-to-fight-for-a-greener-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating Energy Warriors to fight for a greener future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Engaging young people and encouraging them to be part of the green transition is crucial for achieving positive climate change. By bringing sustainability research projects into classrooms and conducting tailored activities with young students, we can enhance their knowledge and involvement.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Involving young people within an energy community was an integral part of a community-focused approach utilised in the H2020 iElectrix project<\/a> which ran from 2019 to 2022. \u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student involvement<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

iEletrix aimed to create local energy communities, implement innovative demand response schemes and enable a smart European electricity grid, which integrates local renewable energy sources across four pilot sites in Austria, Germany, Hungary, and India. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The community-orientated approach implemented by Smart Innovation Norway\u2019s Social Innovation Team aimed to engage students in a local school in the Indian pilot in the research and co-creation activities connected with the demand response program developed in iElectrix. This included designing school activities with the school staff which educated students on how to be more energy efficient in their homes and subsequently reduce the demand placed on the electricity grid.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Paul<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u2013 The students participated in a competition where they were asked to create posters and videos showing how they would save energy at home. From the competition, a few winning students were selected to become Energy Warriors. These Energy Warriors got more involved in the energy sector through iElectrix, such as visiting the local electricity distributor Tata Power, who were also part of the iElectrix project, says Dr Paul Tobin.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul is one of the behavioural scientists from Smart Innovation Norway who has been working on the iElectrix project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Social process<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Utilising psycho-social frameworks to understand community needs when approaching sustainability projects or initiatives ensures that neither the individual, society or culture is overlooked when introducing new technologies or schemes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When developing technologies, new business models, management systems, or marketplaces for energy flexibility, aligning them with the needs and motivations of local community members is crucial. Without long-term engagement from the community, new technologies or innovations will not be accepted, and the required societal changes for changing the energy system will be impossible.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n