Democratisation of energy, data and algorithms
Energy systems in the UK and beyond are shifting as a result of changes across a number of technological and social dimensions. Broadly, these can be related to '3Ds': Decarbonisation of energy, driven primarily by the need to mitigate against climate change impacts; Decentralisation of energy production, as an outcome of the deepening penetration of small-scale, user-oriented renewable energy technologies; and Digitalisation of energy systems, characterised by an expansion of data collection, analytics, and algorithmic development across a range of applications. The combination of such changes is also likely to impact upon a fourth D: that of Democratisation, in the emergence of a new set of roles and responsibilities for actors within energy systems.
This project will explore what the evolving relationship between Digitalisation and Democratisation in the UK energy system means for attaining positive processes and outcomes in the public interest, and will be structured around the following research questions:
1. How are algorithms changing, or replacing, decision-making throughout the UK energy system?
2. In what ways, and to what extent, does algorithmic or algorithm-informed decision-making interact with public interest issues in moving towards sustainable energy transformation?
3. What does more effective regulation of data and algorithms in the UK energy system look like with reference to existing and new institutional arrangements?
Drawing on and developing current thinking around energy democratisation, the project will involve:
a) Mapping of the evolving landscape in terms of algorithmic decision-making in the energy system.
b) Developing a conceptual framework around which such decision-making can be understood to be interacting and coevolving with discourses around the public interest and energy/data.
c) Engaging with actors from throughout the regulatory landscape to critically analyse current and potential future regulatory landscapes governing processes and outcomes around data-centric energy systems.