Maximising the diffusion and impact of microgeneration technologies in new housing

该项目将告知并影响新建房屋对微发电技术(MGT)的需求和使用。这项研究具有很高的相关性和及时性，因为英国政府已经制定了一个目标，即到2016年，所有新房必须实现零碳，而且需要使用MGTS来实现这一目标。MGTS的广泛引入和使用将产生重大影响。对于能源供应商来说，MGTS将把平衡从集中的能源生产和分配转移到分散的模式。MGTS将使最终用户能够发电供自己使用，任何剩余的电力都将出售给电网公司。此外，已发现安装MGTS大大改变了终端用户对提高能源效率的认识、态度和行为。对于MGT制造商和安装商来说，需求的大幅增长将扩大MGT市场，并提供新的商机和挑战。最后，对于住房开发商来说，MGTS的整合将要求他们在商业战略、供应链管理、设计和生产方面进行根本性创新。因此，MGTS在新建住房部门的成功推广将需要在机构、供应链和最终用户行为者之间进行多层次的变革。到目前为止，MGTS的使用量极小。到目前为止，关于MGT扩散障碍的研究一直追求有限的“技术推动”视角。这种观点通常忽视了影响MGTS开发和使用的关键社会和市场动态。拟议的研究采用了一种社会技术网络分析方法，这对于正确理解有助于(或阻碍)建立和巩固适当的供应链和最终用户战略和做法的条件和程序是必要的。这些条件和进程将因国家而异。因此，可以通过跨国比较来确定和分享经验教训和良好做法。该项目的工作方案涉及综合活动的三个主要方面。首先，将进行六个英国住房开发案例研究，以调查在特定开发项目中雇用的MGT。将制作住房开发案例研究，并从实地工作中确定新建住房中使用的三个关键MGT。其次，这些优先的MGT将是三个英国MGT案例研究的重点，这三个案例将集中于特定的MGT及其相关制造(S)。这项工作将产生MGT案例研究报告和一个分析框架，以便能够比较MGT和国家机构背景之间的差异。第三，分析框架将被用来对法国和英国进行比较。法国电力公司的研究人员将在法国进行实地考察。这种比较将能够整合各国的数据，并对各国国情对支持设计和部署MGTS的社会技术网络变化的影响进行比较机构分析。该项目将受益于拥有以下工业合作伙伴：国家住宅建筑委员会基金会、住宅建筑商联合会和英国电工及联合制造商协会。合作伙伴在各自的行业中备受推崇，政府将他们的意见作为行业的“代表性声音”征求他们的意见。来自雷丁大学和索尔福德大学EPSRC资助的创新制造研究中心的学术项目团队在领导和管理成功的合作资助项目方面拥有良好的记录。此外，学术小组拥有该项目所需的多学科专业知识：提供可持续住房；高科技部门的新产品开发；采购和供应链管理；以及社会技术网络分析。

This project will inform and influence the need for and use of microgeneration technology (MGT) in new build houses. The research is highly relevant and timely as the UK government has set a target that all new houses must be zero-carbon by 2016 and that the use of MGTs will be needed to meet this target. The widespread introduction and use of MGTs will have significant implications. For energy providers, MGTs will move the balance away from centralised energy generation and distribution towards a decentralised model. MGTs will enable end-users to generate electricity for their own use with any surplus being sold to the grid company. In addition, the installation of MGTs has been found to significantly shift end-users awareness, attitudes and behaviour towards improved energy efficiency. For MGT manufacturers and installers, the substantial increase in demand will expand the MGT market and offer new business opportunities and challenges. Finally, for housing developers, the integration of MGTs will require radical innovation in their business strategies, supply chain management, design and production. The successful diffusion of MGTs in the new build housing sector will therefore need multi-level changes across institutional, supply chain and end-user actors. The uptake of MGTs so far has been extremely small. Research to date on the barriers to MGT diffusion has pursued a limited 'technology push' perspective. This perspective has generally ignored the critical social and market dynamics which shape (and are shaped by) the development and use of MGTs. The proposed research adopts a socio-technical network analysis approach which is needed to properly understand the conditions and processes which facilitate (or hinder) the creation and solidification of appropriate supply chains and end-user strategies and practices. These conditions and processes will vary from country to country. Lessons and good practice may therefore be identified and shared through cross-country comparisons. The programme of work in the project involves three principal streams of integrated activity. First, six UK housing development case studies will be undertaken which will investigate the MGTs employed in particular developments. Housing development case studies will be produced and, from the fieldwork, three key MGTs used in new build housing will be identified. Second, these prioritised MGTs will be the focus of three UK MGT case studies which will concentrate on the particular MGTs and associated manufacture(s). The work will result in MGT case study reports and an analytical framework to allow comparisons between MGTs and between national institutional contexts. Third, the analytical framework will be used to conduct a comparison between France and the UK. EDF researchers will conductthe fieldwork in France. The comparison will allow the integration of cross-national data and comparative institutional analysis of the effect of national conditions on variations in the socio-technical networks supporting the design and deployment of MGTs. The project will benefit from having the following as industrial partners: the National House Building Council Foundation, the Home Builders Federation and the British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers Association. The partners are highly regarded in their sectors and their views are sought by government as the 'representative voice' of the industry. The academic project team from the EPSRC funded Innovative Manufacturing Research Centres at the University of Reading and the University of Salford has a proven track record in leading and managing successful collaborative funded projects. Further, the academic team has the multi-disciplinary expertise required for the project: the delivery of sustainable housing; new product development in high technology sectors; procurement and supply chain management; and, socio-technical network analysis.