Sciencewise Energy infrastructure webinar

Managed by Ricardo-AEA on behalf of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS)www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk 1

SCIENCEWISE WEBINAR
Public views on Energy Infrastructure
Ingrid Prikken, Sciencewise Researcher
Edward Andersson, Sciencewise Programme Manager
Dr Karen Parkhill, Bangor University
2

Managed by Ricardo-AEA on behalf of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS)www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk
Agenda
• Introducing Sciencewise
• Why Social Intelligence?
• Public views on energy infrastructure:
findings, drivers and trends
• Public values, attitudes and acceptability about
transforming the UK energy system (UKERC)
• Public dialogue in practice
• DECC 2050 Pathways
• Gaps in current knowledge about Social Intelligence
3

Managed by Ricardo-AEA on behalf of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS)www.sciencewise-erc.org.uk 4
Introducing Sciencewise
 Sciencewise Expert Resource Centre for
Public Dialogue in Science and Technology
 Funded by the Department for Business
Innovation and Skills (BIS)
 It aims to help policy makers commission
and use public dialogue to inform policy
decisions in emerging areas of science and
technology
 Launched in 2008
To help improve
policy-making in
science and technology
through the use of
public dialogue and
engagement

Sciencewise Support
Sciencewise can help you with:
1.Newsletter
2.Social Intelligence & Research
3.Training and Mentoring
4.Dialogue Specialists
5.Project funding and support
5

Why gather Social Intelligence? (1)
• Providing insights into the current understanding of
the views of the public on key emerging areas of
science and technology - George Osborne‟s
„Great 8 Technologies for Growth‟
1. The Big Data Revolution
2. Synthetic biology
3. Regenerative medicine
4. Energy storage
5. Advanced materials
6. Robotics and autonomous systems
7. Commercial applications of space
8. Use of animals in testing experiments
6

Why gather Social Intelligence? (2)
• Creating information which will assist policy makers to
develop better policy by taking into account the
views of the public
• Stimulating further discussion and consideration of
the views of the public by policy makers.
• These are living documents, which will be updated
on a regular basis as new evidence of public views
emerges.
• Comments on our reports welcome.
7

Public Views Energy Infrastructure
Summarizes public views on the topic of energy
infrastructure over the last 20 years
• Focus on national infrastructure and supply side
• Report:
http://www.sciencewise-
erc.org.uk/cms/assets/Uploads/Energy-Infrastructure-
SI-paperFINAL.pdf
• Have your say on the co-ment website:
https://sciencewise.co-
ment.com/text/lVFVdSdG2H9/view/
9

Policy context
• UK legally binding target of reducing greenhouse
gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050
• Draft Energy Bill, includes plans to ensure ongoing
security of supply
• A particular focus on renewables, nuclear, and
„Government pipeline and storage systems‟.
• Planning consent was granted for a new nuclear
plant at Hinkley in Somerset, and 2013 budget
included a focus on investment in extracting shale
gas
• Energy and its storage as one of the ‘eight great
technologies’
10

National and local importance
• Focus of the review is on national views on „the
technology‟ rather than „whether the technology
should be built here‟
• Energy infrastructure requires very localised
developments to tackle an issue of national
importance
Leads to key questions such as:
• How do members of the public form their views
about energy infrastructure?
• How do members of the public make decisions about
trade-offs and priorities?
11

Views on specific technologies and
infrastructure
• Support for future systems of renewable energy
supply is consistent. Public support for large scale
wind power consistently positive
• Nuclear energy tends to polarise opinion; support
for nuclear on its own generally low, but higher when
considered as part of a mix
• Public support for moving away from hydrocarbon
dependency. Levels of support for fossil fuels
similar to nuclear, but levels of opposition lower
• Limited social intelligence available about shale gas
(fracking)
• Low awareness, less certain views and limited
support for ‘new technologies’
12

Views on energy storage
• New area to the public
• Limited empirical evidence
• Value in investigating public attitudes experimentally,
perhaps through comparative investigation (e.g.
underground water vs. gas storage)
• Experience linked to perceived risk, perception of
appropriate scale, proximity to population
• Less to do with purpose of technology, more to do
with attributes and associations
13

“Most of the UK public are aware that
climate change and energy security are
serious problems and that we need to
make substantial changes to our energy
systems.”
Source: „Public Attitudes, Understanding, and Engagement in relation to Low-Carbon
Energy: A selective review of academic and non-academic literatures‟ ( RCUK, 2011)
14

Public views on energy
infrastructure shaped by:
• Local context and specific views on impacts or
benefits
• Other contextual factors ranging from the micro to
the macro
• Wider imperatives such as the for security of
supply, independence of supply, lower
environmental impact and affordability
15

Drivers, context and trade-offs
• Attitudes vary under different circumstances
• Individuals play multiple roles in relation to energy
• Public views don’t form a single public
consciousness
• Energy use tends to be taken for granted
• Perception of risk in relation to energy infrastructure
is complex
• Unclear how and to what degree the public make
direct trade-offs between personal and national
issues
16

Trends
• Energy security has emerged recently as key driver
for preferences and choices
• Preferences have remained relatively consistent in
recent times
• Lack of clarity as to whether familiarity with specific
technologies engenders higher degree of
acceptance on a national level
17

Transforming the UK Energy System:
Public Values, Attitudes and
Acceptability - Synthesis Report
Karen Parkhill, Christina Demski, Catherine Butler, Alexa Spence
and Nick Pidgeon
k.parkhill@bangor.ac.uk

Project Background
 Multiple long-term national policy goals bring imperatives to
transform the energy system
• Climate change, Energy security, Affordability, Environment
 Publics deeply implicated in change
 Social dimensions often ‘missing’ from scenarios

Project Overview
Scenarios
• Scenario
Adaptation, Expe
rt Consultation &
Material
Development
• Conducted Jan-
June 2011
Qualitative
• Deliberating
Energy System
Scenarios &
Trade-offs
• Conducted June –
Oct 2011
Quantitative
• National (GB)
Survey: Attitudes
toward Whole
Energy System
Transformations
• Conducted online
2-12th 2012 August

Click to add titleSynthesis Analysis
• Not a summary of workshops or survey
reports
• Consistency and divergences between
datasets examined carefully
• Synthesis: best explains the data as a whole, &
provides a coherent account of public
responses to energy system change

Click to add titlePublic Vision
The public vision of the future energy system is
one that contributes to a broader vision of a
sustainable future
strong commitment to
renewable forms of
energy production
and a corresponding
shift away from fossil
fuels.
overall improvement
in energy efficiency
and reductions in
energy demand.

Click to add titleSolar Energy - example
“RENEWABLE”
“CLEAN”
“FAIR”
“JUST”
It’s not about the technology, it’s about the values

Click to add titleThe importance of values
1) Explaining what UNDERLIES preferences and
acceptability
2) Understanding responses and insights into
why they might change (and how)
3) Predicting future responses to changes and
energy system development
It is essential that social policies are created
which are responsive to citizens’ values.

Click to add titleWhat we mean by values
Values are guiding principles for people, groups
and other social entities
„Social‟ value system Cultural resources

Public VALUES
Reducing the use of
finite resources
Reducing overall
levels of energy use
Environmental
protection
Naturalness and
Nature
Avoiding waste
Efficient
Capturing
opportunities
Availability and
Affordability
Reliability
Safety
Autonomy and Freedom
Choice and Control
Social Justice
Fairness, Honesty
& Transparency
Long-term
trajectories
Interconnected
Improvement
and quality

Click to add titleEfficient and not Wasteful
Avoiding waste and waste products, being more
efficient and capturing opportunities

Click to add titleEnvironment and Nature
A system that uses and produces energy in an
environmentally conscious way and does not
unnecessarily interfere with or harm nature

Click to add titleSecure and Stable
Ensuring access to energy services both in terms
of availability and affordability. A system that is
reliable and safe in the production and delivery of
energy services.

Click to add titleAutonomy and Power
Being mindful of the importance of autonomy
and freedom at national and personal levels.

Click to add titleJust and Fair
Being mindful of implications for people’s abilities
to live healthy lives; a system that is fair and
inclusive, where actors are honest and transparent.
- Social, environmental, financial impacts
- Vulnerable groups
- Intra- and intergenerational justice
Social Justice
Fair distribution of cost and benefits

Click to add titleProcess and Change
Thinking in terms of long-term trajectories, interconnections;
and ensuring changes represent improvement in terms of
socio-technical advances and quality of life

Public VALUES
Reducing the use of
finite resources
Reducing overall
levels of energy use
Environmental
protection
Naturalness and
Nature
Avoiding waste
Efficient
Capturing
opportunities
Availability and
Affordability
Reliability
Safety
Autonomy and Freedom
Choice and Control
Social Justice
Fairness, Honesty
& Transparency
Long-term
trajectories
Interconnected
Improvement
and quality
We stipulate that acceptability of any
particular aspect of energy system
transformations will, in part, be
conditional upon how well it fits with
the value-system.
Importance of long-term
trajectories commensurate
with these values

Situating Values
Values relate to how publics think the
world SHOULD be...
But publics recognise that how the
world IS could be different
Pragmatism: world views, social
experiences & context

Click to add titleExample of Pragmatism: Change
Change is viewed as a
slow process
Energy system change
and the major
infrastructural changes
implied are perceived as
likely to require very
long development
trajectories.

Click to add titleKey Messages
Public acceptability may only be achieved if it is rooted, in a
significant way, in the described value system.
Meaningful public acceptability
Publics are unlikely to settle for a form of change that does
not show signs of commitment to the longer-term trajectories
commensurate with these values.
Pursuing energy system changes in ways that are in keeping
with longer-term trajectories aligned with public values can
form the basis of a social contract for change.
Values and above apply as much to the PROCESS of achieving
energy system change as it does the end system

Click to add titleProject Reports
Butler, C., Parkhil
l, K.A.
& Pidgeon N.F.
Parkhill, K., Demski, C., Butler, C., Spence, A. and Pidgeon, N.F (July
2013) Transforming the UK Energy System: Public Values, Attitudes
and Acceptability - Synthesis Report. Cardiff University and UK
Energy Research Centre.
Available from
http://www.ukerc.ac.uk/support/Transforming+the+UK+Energy+System
Demski, C., Spenc
e, A.
& Pidgeon N.F.
k.parkhill@bangor.ac.uk demskicc@cardiff.ac.uk butlercc1@cardiff.ac.uk
alexa.spence@nottingham.ac.uk pidgeonn@cardiff.ac.uk

Deliberative Workshops: Approach
Introducing reasons for whole energy system change
• Presentation
• Short surveys & Discussion
Creating a scenario in small groups
• DECC My2050 web tool & extra components omitted from tool
• Guided discussion to prompt conditions, trade-offs, agreements,
disagreements to form basis of social contracts.
Reflecting on scenarios: Scenario narratives -
“BAU”, “Mixing it up” & “Low carbon living”
• Small group discussions of each
• Reflections on My2050 discussions to amend social contracts

Drivers for public dialogue
• Trust
• Governance
• New perspectives
• Socially acceptable solutions
• Ownership
• Prevent contestation
• Trade-offs
41

Considerations
• Clear objectives and framing
• Incredible number of interlinked issues
• Difficult to get at imagined futures
• Adequate design and careful planning
• Patience and openness
• Publics
42

DECC 2050 Pathways
In 2011 the Department of Energy and Climate Change
(DECC) ran a three-strand public engagement
programme on how the UK should meet its legally
binding greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of
80% by 2050
Methods:
• An advisory youth panel
• Three local deliberative dialogues, using the 2050
Pathways Calculator
• A serious games interface, My2050
The programme was jointly funded by DECC and
Sciencewise-ERC
43

The deliberative workshops
• Designed around the use of the 2050 Pathways
Calculator
• Engaged community leaders in discussion about
„pathways‟ to achieving the 2050 target
• Incorporated plenary explanatory sessions
• Use of the calculator and small group discussion on
specific themes
• Interaction with experts
44

Key findings from the process
• People learned more about some of the less well-
known technologies
• They did not necessarily change their views or
behaviour about more well-known technologies
• Participants‟ approaches seemed to be driven by what
we should be doing, what seemed achievable and what
was thought to be desirable.
• Nuclear technology, wind, electrification and bio-
energy tended to be the technologies that evoked the
strongest, and often negative, reaction and, as such,
were often excluded.
• The absence of cost data meant some felt it was
difficult to make an informed decision on the best
strategy to pursue
• Not all participants bought into the 80% target, and
others struggled to develop a pathway that hit the
target.
46

Impact on participants
• They realised the scale of the challenge and
understood more about what achieving the 80%
target would entail, and its impact on public life and
society.
• They learned more about the energy debate in
general and the range of options available to meet
the 2050 target.
• Some people said they would use the 2050
pathways calculator with their own communities.

Discussion: why public dialogue?
1 .What are the benefits?
2. What are the risks/challenges?
3. What are the risks of not engaging the public?

“...a new approach to
engagement is necessary
if Government is to foster
deliberate transformative
innovation.”
Source: Transforming the UK‟s Energy: policies for the
2020 renewables target and beyond, University of Sussex
for Friends of the Earth
49

Gaps in the current knowledge on
public views
• Limited evidence on public views in relation to less-
developed or emerging technologies (fracking,
energy storage, biomass, nuclear fusion)
• Lack of clarity on whether increased public
knowledge increases acceptability
• Questions on whether views about specific
technologies change over time, and the reasons
why this might occur
• Public views sought in isolation of views of other
stakeholders e.g. policy makers and experts
• Scope for encouraging members of the public to
think about trade-offs and a joint demand- and
supply led approach
• Nature of engagement tended to be limited to polls
and consultations – 2 dimensional snapshots
50

Linking things up...
Engagement activities traditionally focussed on overall views
about specific infrastructure projects or national strategies -
less focus on linking things up
If energy is going to be something done with communities,
rather than to communities, then look at gaps from two angles:
1. Engaging the wider public with energy options, deliberate
constraints and trade offs regarding national energy mix
2. Stress the importance of early ‘upstream’ dialogue, both
concerning national energy infrastructure policy and the
potential local impacts.
...Start asking questions like “How do we all ensure our
energy needs are met as a nation” and “What would you be
prepared to change/to accept”
Rather than “we want to put this wind farm or power line near
you, what do you think”...
51

A few thoughts regarding local
engagement:
• Local level seems key interface between citizens,
government and businesses
• Partnerships – community groups and
organisations are playing a crucial role
• Innovation in public engagement vs. risk
averseness
• Focus on economic development, budgets cuts –
affects capacity and will to engage
• How to connect what‟s happening at the grassroots
with what (local) governments are doing?
• Current national policy on energy security and fuel
poverty, energy efficiency (Green Deal, ECO).
Relatively top down – perhaps little space for
public engagement?
52

Upcoming webinars and events
Sciencewise Community of Practice Meeting Sep 2013
Thursday, 19 September 2013 from 12:00 to 15:00 (BST), London,
United Kingdom
This face to face event will explore the changing landscape of open
policy making and will explore issues such as open data, localism,
transparency and complexity. This face to face event in the BIS
Conference Centre is open to all Civil Servants across
Government. http://sciencewisecopsep13.eventbrite.co.uk/
54

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