Maximising the diffusion and impact of microgeneration technologies in new housing

该项目将告知和影响在新建房屋中使用微发电技术（MGT）的需求。这项研究具有高度的相关性和及时性，因为英国政府已经设定了一个目标，即到2016年，所有新建房屋必须实现零碳排放，并且需要使用MGT来实现这一目标。MGT的广泛引入和使用将产生重大影响。对于能源供应商来说，MGT将使平衡从集中的能源生产和分配转向分散的模式。MGT将使最终用户能够生产供自己使用的电力，并将任何盈余出售给电网公司。此外，人们发现，安装多功能燃气轮机可大大改变终端用户对提高能效的认识、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，MGT的整合将需要在其业务战略、供应链管理、设计和生产方面进行彻底的创新。因此，要在新建住房部门成功推广MGT，就需要在机构、供应链和最终用户行为体之间进行多层次的变革。到目前为止，MGT的吸收量非常小。迄今为止，对MGT扩散障碍的研究一直采取有限的“技术推动”观点。这一观点通常忽视了塑造（或被塑造）多边贸易体制的发展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，需要这种方法来正确理解促进（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过程。这些条件和程序因国家而异。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三个主要的综合活动。首先，将进行六个英国住房开发案例研究，调查特定开发项目中雇用的MGT。将进行住房开发案例研究，并从实地考察中确定新建住房中使用的三个关键MGT。第二，这些优先的MGT将是三个英国MGT案例研究的重点，这些案例研究将集中在特定的MGT和相关的制造业。这项工作将产生多边贸易体制案例研究报告和分析框架，以便在多边贸易体制之间和国家体制背景之间进行比较。第三，分析框架将被用来进行法国和英国之间的比较。EDF的研究人员将在法国进行实地考察。通过比较，将能够综合跨国数据，并对国家条件对支持设计和部署多边贸易体制的社会技术网络的差异的影响进行比较性机构分析。该项目将受益于以下工业伙伴：国家房屋建筑理事会基金会、房屋建筑商联合会和英国电工和联合制造商协会。这些合作伙伴在各自的行业中受到高度评价，政府将其视为行业的“代表声音”。来自EPSRC资助的阅读大学和索尔福德大学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有着良好的记录。此外，学术团队拥有项目所需的多学科专业知识：可持续住房的交付;高科技领域的新产品开发;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.