The Public Acceptance of New Energy Technologies

Daedalus ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger E. Kasperson ◽  
Bonnie J. Ram
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Energy System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Gasoline Prices ◽  
The Public ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
New Energy ◽  
The U.S

In the wake of ominous results about the impending path of climate change, and with gasoline prices hovering around four dollars per gallon, the 2012 presidential and congressional campaigns are full of claims and counterclaims about the transformation of the U.S. energy system. Although much discussion has centered on the need for new energy technologies, this debate as yet has been narrow and limited. Meaningful deployment of any technology will raise questions of public acceptance. Little is known about how diverse publics in the United States will respond to the advent of new energy sources, whether they involve a “second renaissance” for nuclear power, a dash to embrace hydraulic fracking for oil and natural gas, or emerging prospects for renewable energies like wind and solar power. Yet public acceptance will determine the outlook. Adding further complication is the growing debate about traditional energy sources and the extent to which a fossil fuel – based energy system should continue to be central to the American economy. This essay explores the issues involved in public acceptance of stability and change in the U.S. energy system. We conclude with several recommendations for gaining a greater understanding of the public acceptance quandary.

Citizens’, Scientists’, and Policy Advisors’ Beliefs about Global Warming

2015 ◽  
Vol 658 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toby Bolsen ◽  
James N. Druckman ◽  
Fay Lomax Cook
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Public ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Ideological Polarization ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Analyze Data

Numerous factors shape citizens’ beliefs about global warming, but there is very little research that compares the views of the public with key actors in the policymaking process. We analyze data from simultaneous and parallel surveys of (1) the U.S. public, (2) scientists who actively publish research on energy technologies in the United States, and (3) congressional policy advisors and find that beliefs about global warming vary markedly among them. Scientists and policy advisors are more likely than the public to express a belief in the existence and anthropogenic nature of global warming. We also find ideological polarization about global warming in all three groups, although scientists are less polarized than the public and policy advisors over whether global warming is actually occurring. Alarmingly, there is evidence that the ideological divide about global warming gets significantly larger according to respondents’ knowledge about politics, energy, and science.

scholarly journals The Social Aspects and Public Acceptance of Biomass Giving the Example of a Hungarian Region

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-43
Author(s):  
Zoltán Bujdosó ◽  
Csaba Patkós ◽  
Tibor Kovács ◽  
Zsolt Radics ◽  
Zoltán Baros
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Biomass Energy ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Renewable Energy Resources ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Major Factors

Biomass energy sources are the most promising, and most heavily subsidized renewable energy sources. The future of biomass energy in the global energy system depends on on many major factors, among others on the attitude of society to the biomass energy and the renewable energy resources. The purpose of the paper is to analyze the opportunities of utilization of biomass energy sources giving example of a Hungarian study area furthermore to study the public acceptance of renewable energy sources in a certain region. The study aims to explore the general knowledge, innovative attitude, acceptance and willingness of application as well as the estimation of the benefits of the use of RES within the inhabitants. Data collection has carried out by primary (questionnaire survey) and secondary ways in order to gain deep information from the target group (local people). The conclusion we can drawn from the analysis is that society take the biomass energy into consideration and its importance and responsibility is increasing. As far as the consciousness is concerned, the knowledge and the environmental friendly approach of inhabitants are also sufficient.

Study of Hybrid Sustainable Energy System Based on PEM Fuel Cells and Photovoltaic-Module Power Generator

2013 ◽  
pp. 1357-1379
Author(s):  
Fatima Zohra Zerhouni ◽  
M’hammed Houari Zerhouni ◽  
Mansour Zegrar ◽  
Amine Boudghene Stambouli
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Photovoltaic Module ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
New Energy ◽  
World Demand

The computer is the greatest innovation of the 20th century. It has changed our lives. It executes tasks with precision. There is no limit with what we can do with software. Computers are seductive. Companies and students cannot work without them. They help students to perform mathematical computations. It is very important that mathematical ideas are expressed in computer programs in order to have theoretical results and to verify them practically. Nowadays, the development of new and non-polluting energy producing and energy-storage systems is a great challenge for scientists. An alternative to the nuclear and fossil fuel power is renewable energy technologies. Due to ever-increasing energy consumption, rising public awareness of environmental protection, and steady progress in power deregulation, alternative (i.e., renewable and fuel cell based) distributed generation systems have attracted increased interest. There is an accelerating world demand for environmentally friendly power. Among the renewable energy sources, the Photovoltaic (PV) energy is the most promising candidate for research and development for large scale users. Fuel cells have been receiving a lot of attention lately due to their potential of becoming a new energy source with a large range of applications. Fuel cells can be incorporated with other components to create high efficiency industrial power plants. Fuel cells permit clean and efficient energy production. The purpose of the work is to optimize the system’s operation. The main reason to build described system is to supply stand-alone systems using renewable energy sources. Therefore, the power plant has to produce energy independent of any weather fluctuations. Integrating photovoltaic energy sources with fuel cells, as a storage device replacing the conventional lead-acid batteries, leads to a non-polluting reliable energy source. In this chapter, an energy system comprising different energy sources, namely PV and fuel cells, is proposed. Photovoltaic cells coupled with electrolytic devices can be used to produce hydrogen and oxygen in a sustainable manner. With the produced hydrogen from the electrolysis process, it is possible to generate electricity through fuel cells. Photovoltaic panels in particular can provide a good source of producing green electricity. It is autonomous, its operation does not pollute the atmosphere, and it is an inexhaustible and renewable source with great reliability. The simulation program developed also allows the exportation of different configurations. The experimental system described has permitted the validation of the proposed method.

Study of Hybrid Sustainable Energy System Based on PEM Fuel Cells and Photovoltaic-Module Power Generator

2012 ◽  
pp. 399-422
Author(s):  
Fatima Zohra Zerhouni ◽  
M’hammed Houari Zerhouni ◽  
Mansour Zegrar ◽  
Amine Boudghene Stambouli
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Fuel Cells ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Photovoltaic Module ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
New Energy ◽  
World Demand

The computer is the greatest innovation of the 20th century. It has changed our lives. It executes tasks with precision. There is no limit with what we can do with software. Computers are seductive. Companies and students cannot work without them. They help students to perform mathematical computations. It is very important that mathematical ideas are expressed in computer programs in order to have theoretical results and to verify them practically. Nowadays, the development of new and non-polluting energy producing and energy-storage systems is a great challenge for scientists. An alternative to the nuclear and fossil fuel power is renewable energy technologies. Due to ever-increasing energy consumption, rising public awareness of environmental protection, and steady progress in power deregulation, alternative (i.e., renewable and fuel cell based) distributed generation systems have attracted increased interest. There is an accelerating world demand for environmentally friendly power. Among the renewable energy sources, the Photovoltaic (PV) energy is the most promising candidate for research and development for large scale users. Fuel cells have been receiving a lot of attention lately due to their potential of becoming a new energy source with a large range of applications. Fuel cells can be incorporated with other components to create high efficiency industrial power plants. Fuel cells permit clean and efficient energy production. The purpose of the work is to optimize the system’s operation. The main reason to build described system is to supply stand-alone systems using renewable energy sources. Therefore, the power plant has to produce energy independent of any weather fluctuations. Integrating photovoltaic energy sources with fuel cells, as a storage device replacing the conventional lead-acid batteries, leads to a non-polluting reliable energy source. In this chapter, an energy system comprising different energy sources, namely PV and fuel cells, is proposed. Photovoltaic cells coupled with electrolytic devices can be used to produce hydrogen and oxygen in a sustainable manner. With the produced hydrogen from the electrolysis process, it is possible to generate electricity through fuel cells. Photovoltaic panels in particular can provide a good source of producing green electricity. It is autonomous, its operation does not pollute the atmosphere, and it is an inexhaustible and renewable source with great reliability. The simulation program developed also allows the exportation of different configurations. The experimental system described has permitted the validation of the proposed method.

The Importance Of Energy Solutions For A Safe And Rational Development

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 379-384
Author(s):  
Daniela Cristina Momete ◽  
Tudor Prisecaru
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Crucial Importance ◽  
Gas Processing ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Rational Development ◽  
Oil Exploitation ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Energy Domain

AbstractA new industrial revolution is on the verge in the energy domain considering the knowledge and skills acquired through the development of new energy technologies. Shale gas processing, unconventional oil exploitation, new exploring/drilling methods, mature renewable energy or in progress, all generated a wealth of knowledge in new technology. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse the positive and negative aspects of energy solutions, and to reveal the way to a world where a valid sustainable development, based on safe and rational premises, is actually considered. The paper also introduces suggestions for the energy system, which has a crucial importance in coping with the resource management of the future, where the economic, social, and environmental/climate needs of the post-crisis world should be suitably considered.

scholarly journals Extending the Coverage of the Trust–Acceptability Model: The Negative Effect of Trust in Government on Nuclear Power Acceptance in South Korea under a Nuclear Phase-Out Policy

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3343
Author(s):  
Seungkook Roh ◽  
Hae-Gyung Geong
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
The Public ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Nuclear Phase ◽  
Phase Out

This article extends the coverage of the trust–acceptability model to a new situation of nuclear phase-out by investigating the effect of trust on the public acceptance of nuclear power, with South Korea as the research setting. Through the structural equation modeling of a nationwide survey dataset from South Korea, we examined the effects of the public’s trust in the various actors related to nuclear power on their perceptions of the benefits and risks of nuclear power and their acceptance of nuclear power. Contrary to previous studies’ findings, in South Korea, under a nuclear phase-out policy by the government, trust in government revealed a negative impact on the public acceptance of nuclear power. Trust in environmental non-governmental groups also showed a negative effect on nuclear power acceptance. In contrast, trust in nuclear energy authority and trust in nuclear academia both had positive effects. In all cases, the effect of a trust variable on nuclear power acceptance was at least partially accounted for by the trust’s indirect effects through benefit perception and risk perception. These findings strengthen the external validity of the trust–acceptability model and provide implications for both researchers and practitioners.

scholarly journals Latinas for Trump Analysis of Processes of Identification and the Use of Narratives to Construct Subject-Positions

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-214
Author(s):  
Mayela Zambrano
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
The United States ◽  
Apparent Contradiction ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Political Preference ◽  
Subject Positions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Latino Community ◽  
The U.S

AbstractThe public and commercial spheres constantly address the largest ethnic minority in the United States, people with ancestry or from a Latin American country, as a homogenous group under the ethnopolitical terms “Latinos,” “Hispanics,” and even “Mexicans.” This panethnic view, and the negative stereotypes associated with it, was especially visible during the 2016 presidential election. While the majority of Latinos found Donald Trump’s remarks on “Mexicans” offensive to the Latin community as a whole, a large number of people still supported his opinions, even those belonging to the “Latino” community. Even more so, women of Latino heritage still supported a nominee that went against their own advance in society given his constant misogynistic comments. In this essay, I analyze the groundings for this apparent contradiction in the preference for said candidate. I argue that these women’s political preference is a tool with which they build their identity in the U.S. Besides, I explore the ways in which individuals linguistically construct their own identity in three ways (i) by actively doing the identification instead of merely receiving it by an unknown agent; (ii) by choosing the self-representation of their preference, and (iii) by finding commonalities and bonding with other individuals they deem part of their group. Through this approach, I analyze semiotic processes, such as intertextuality, use of pronouns, and discourse alignment, that are used to construct identifications of the self that go beyond imposed categories, such as gender and ethnicity.

Comparative Analysis, Tools, and Questions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Araújo
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Human Development Index ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Home Market ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Energy Transitions ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Quality Of Living ◽  
The Given

This chapter returns to the overarching questions of this book, namely, how can national energy transitions be explained, to what extent do patterns of change align and differ in the transitions of this study, and how does policy play a role, particularly with innovations that emerged amid the transitions. To broadly answer, the four cases are comparatively examined here. The conceptual tools from Chapter 3 are also elaborated based on the findings. Implications of the results are discussed, and will serve as a basis for further discussion in Chapter 9 on how to think about energy transitions as a planner, decision-maker, and researcher. Among the more significant findings are the following. Greater energy substitution (in relative terms) occurred initially within the countries that extended or repurposed existing energy systems versus the country (i.e., Denmark) that developed a new energy system from a nearly non-existent one. Cost improvements were evident in all cases; however, a number of caveats are worth noting. Among the energy technologies and their services that were studied, only Icelandic geothermal-based heating was competitive in its home market in the 1970s; nonetheless, the remaining energy technologies that were studied later became cost competitive. As the national industries of this book became globally recognized, increases in the quality of living within the given countries also occurred, as gauged by the Human Development Index (HDI). With respect to timescales, substantial energy transitions were evident in all cases within a period of 15 years or less. In terms of technology complexity, this attribute was not a confounding barrier to change. Finally, government was instrumental to change, but not always the driver. There are countless ways to compare national energy transitions. This section illustrates ways of doing so, first by describing broadly observed, socio-technical patterns with the tool typologies outlined in Chapter 3. A discussion of tool refinement follows. The section then turns to more systematically assess key, qualitative and quantitative dimensions of the four transition cases.

scholarly journals New Energy Technologies: Microalgae, Photolysis and Airborne Wind Turbines

Sci ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Moriarty ◽  
Damon Honnery
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Near Term

Because of the near-term risk of extreme weather events and other adverse consequences from climate change, and, at least in the longer term, global fossil fuel depletion, there is world-wide interest in shifting to noncarbon energy sources, especially renewable energy (RE). Because of possible limitations on conventional renewable energy sources, researchers have looked for ways of overcoming these shortcomings by introducing radically new energy technologies. The largest RE source today is bioenergy, while solar energy and wind energy are regarded as having the largest technical potential. This paper reviews the literature on proposed new technologies for each of these three RE sources: microalgae for bioenergy, photolysis and airborne wind turbines. The main finding is that their proponents have underestimated the difficulties facing their introduction on a very large scale.

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