Memorandum submitted by Dr Patrick Devine-Wright,
Manchester Architecture Research Centre
1. EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
There is an important social dimension to the
future of Britain's electricity networks that is often overlooked
in policy debate, encompassing issues such as public awareness,
understandings and acceptance of changing network infrastructures.
"NIMBY" (not in my back yard) style controversy over
the siting of new high voltage pylons on the Beauly-Denny line
underscores the need to complement technical and economic analyses
with the social and psychological aspects of electricity networks.
This submission summarises some recent academic research on this
topic conducted at the University of Manchester, funded by the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Data is provided
that indicates public expectation of major blackouts in the UK
in the near future, public support for undergrounding new power
lines, the lack of expectation that local residents are involved
in the planning of new lines and a minority strongly opposed to
an EU-wide "supergrid".
2. INTRODUCTION
This submission draws on work completed from
academic research projects funded by the Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council. These projects are FutureNet (2003-07)
and FlexNet (2007+)—both consortia projects involving multiple
disciplines and UK Universities. This particular submission comprises
social science, specifically environmental psychological research,
conducted within these two projects investigating public understandings
and beliefs about electricity network technologies. Across these
projects, we have focused upon the following thematic areas:
(c) public responses to the use of hydrogen for
electricity storage;
(d) "NIMBY" type responses to siting
proposals; and
(e) Aspects of demand side management (eg energy
citizenship and smartmetering).
A full list of outputs from this work is provided
in the appendix. If the committee require any further info about
the content of these outputs, I would be happy to provide them.
To respond to the specific issue of this call
for evidence—the future of Britain's electricity networks—I
have summarised some results below that stem from research conducted
in September 2007, involving a survey of 1,041 UK adults representative
of the wider UK population in terms of key parameters such as
gender, socio-economic status and place of residence. Given this
representativeness, the results can be taken to indicate UK public
opinion on these issues. A number of the questions are relevant
to this call for evidence, including:
— beliefs about the likelihood of future
blackouts in the UK and their causes;
— beliefs about the roles played by different
actors in decision-making about new electricity infrastructure;
— levels of support for the undergrounding
of new wires and cables; and
— levels of support for an EU-wide "supergrid".
3. RESULTS
3.1.1 How likely is it that people in
the UK will experience a major blackout in the near future?
Responses:
| Extremely likely | 4%
|
| Somewhat likely | 11% |
| Slightly likely | 10% |
| Neither likely nor unlikely | 11%
|
| Slightly unlikely | 28% |
| Somewhat unlikely | 21% |
| Extremely unlikely | 8% |
| Don't know | 7% |
| |
Therefore, more than half of respondents (56.4%, n=587) thought
it would be slightly, somewhat, or extremely likely that the UK
would experience a major blackout in the near future.
3.1.2 The causes of blackouts most frequently mentioned
by respondents:
| 1. | Over-demand | 18% (n=190)
|
| 2. | Weather | 16%
|
| 3. | Acts of terrorism |
15% (n=156) |
| |
|
3.1.3 It is expected that, in the near future, more wind
energy will be used in the UK to generate electricity. What impact
do you think an increase in the number of wind farms might have
upon the likelihood of blackouts occurring in the UK?
(Choose one of the following options)
| Likelihood | N
| % |
| I think more windfarms will increase the likelihood of blackouts
| 62 | 5.9 |
| I think more windfarms will reduce the likelihood of blackouts
| 403 | 38.8 |
| I don't think they will make any difference
| 485 | 46.6 |
| Don't know | 91 | 8.7
|
| 1,041 | 100
|
| |
|
The results suggest that few people think that more wind
energy (and therefore intermittency) will increase the likelihood
of blackouts (see Devine-Wright and Devine-Wright, 2006 paper
on social representations of intermittency). Indeed a significant
minority think they will lessen likelihood the blackouts.
4. WHO IS
INVOLVED IN
PLANNING NEW
POWER LINES?
The list below summarises the degree to which respondents
"somewhat" or "strongly" agreement that each
actor was involved in the process of planning new power lines.
| Local residents— | 12.2%
| |
| Electricity supply companies— | 80.9%
| |
| Environmental groups— | 31.9%
| |
| National Grid plc | 85.3% |
|
| OFGEM— | 51.7% |
|
| Government ministers | |
74.8% |
| |
|
The results suggest that members of the public do not consider
local residents to play a role in planning new power lines, yet
most consider Government ministers to be strongly involved. Interestingly,
28% of responses answered "don't know" in relation to
OFGEM, suggesting uncertainty or a lack of knowledge about the
role of this organisation in planning. This echoes other research
findings (see Devine-Wright and Devine-Wright, forthcoming in
2009), which suggest that organisations such as Ofgem and the
DNOs were relatively "invisible" from the public's perspective.
The words `national grid' suggested a technical infrastructure
rather than any specific organisations.
5. NEW POWER
LINES SHOULD
ALWAYS BE
BUILT UNDERGROUND,
REGARDLESS OF
THE EXTRA
COSTS INVOLVED
Respondents were asked the degree to which they agreed or
disagreed with this statement. The responses are summarised in
the table below.
| N | %
|
| Strongly disagree | 32
| 3.1 |
| Somewhat disagree | 55 |
5.3 |
| Slightly disagree | 104 |
10.0 |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 148
| 14.2 |
| Slightly agree | 187 | 17.9
|
| Somewhat agree | 213 | 20.5
|
| Strongly agree | 260 | 25.0
|
| Don't know | 42 | 4.0
|
| 1,041 | 100
|
| |
|
The results suggest strong public support for the undergrounding
of new power lines, with only 18% disagreeing and 64% expressing
agreement.
6. HOW MUCH
DO YOU
SUPPORT OR
OPPOSE THE
CONSTRUCTION OF
A EUROPE-WIDE
ELECTRICITY NETWORK?
Respondents were asked to indicate the degree to which they
supported or opposedan EU-wide "supergrid". The results
are revealed in the table below:
| N | %
|
| Strongly oppose | 185
| 17.8 |
| Somewhat oppose | 71 | 6.8
|
| Slightly oppose | 133 | 12.8
|
| Neither oppose nor support | 262
| 25.2 |
| Slightly support | 122 |
11.7 |
| Somewhat support | 96 | 9.2
|
| Strongly support | 45 | 4.4
|
| Don't know | 126 | 12.1
|
| Total | 1,041 | 100
|
| |
|
The results suggest a broad spectrum of response, including a
significant minority (17.8%) strongly opposed to EU wide network.
Whilst we did not ask respondents the reason for their support
or opposition, some clue is provided by the fact that those respondents
with a strong sense of EU social identity were far more likely
to indicate support for the supergrid than those from whom the
description "European" was not considered a relevant
descriptor of their identity. Interestingly, similarly high levels
of support were also provided by respondents describing themselves
as "Northern Irish" underlying how respondents support
for trans-national electricity infrastructure is shaped by social
identity processes (while the mean for the sample overall was
3.58 on the 7 point scale, it was 4.44 for those using the label
"Northern Ireland" and 4.36 for those using the label
"European" to describe themselves).
APPENDIX
LIST OF
RECENT ACADEMIC
OUTPUTS
Public understanding of network technologies
Devine-Wright, H and Devine-Wright, P (forthcoming in 2009) Social
representations of electricity network technologies: exploring
processes of anchoring and objectification through the use of
visual research methods. British Journal of Social Psychology.
Devine-Wright, P and Devine-Wright, H (2006) Social representations
of intermittency and the shaping of public support for wind energy
in the UK. International Journal of Global Energy Issues: Special
issue on Intermittency, 25(3/4), 243-256.
Blackouts
Devine-Wright, P and Devine-Wright, H (2007) Keeping the lights
on? A qualitative study of public beliefs about blackouts in the
UK. Power System Technology, 31 (20), 35-45.
"Nimbyism" and public acceptance
Devine-Wright, P. (forthcoming in 2009) Rethinking Nimbyism: the
role of place attachment and place identity in explaining place
protective action. Journal of Community and Applied Social
Psychology.
Devine-Wright, P (2008) Reconsidering public acceptance of renewable
energy technologies: a critical review. M Grubb, T Jamasb, and
M Pollitt (Eds) Delivering a Low Carbon Electricity System:
Technologies, Economics and Policy. Cambridge University Press:
Cambridge, pp 443-461.
Hydrogen
Sherry-Brennan, F, Devine-Wright, H and Devine-Wright, P (forthcoming
in 2009) Public Understanding of Hydrogen: A theoretical approach.
Energy Policy Special Issue on Hydrogen Energy.
Sherry-Brennan, F, Devine-Wright, H and Devine-Wright, P (2007)
Social Representations of Hydrogen Technologies: a Community-Owned
Wind Hydrogen Project. In R Flynn and P Bellaby (Eds.) Risk and
the public acceptance of new technologies. Palgrave/Macmillan:
Basingstoke, pp 154-174.
Demand side management/consumer behaviour
Devine-Wright, P and Devine-Wright, H (forthcoming in 2009) Public
engagement with community-based energy service provision: an exploratory
case study. Energy and Environment, 20(3).
Bilton, M, Ramsay, C, Leach, M, Devine-Wright, H, Devine-Wright,
P and Kirschen, D (2008) Domestic electricity consumption and
demand side participation: opportunities and challenges for the
UK power system in M Grubb, T Jamasb, and M Pollitt (Eds) Delivering
a Low Carbon Electricity System: Technologies, Economics and Policy.
Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, pp 207-228.
Devine-Wright, P (2007) Energy citizenship: psychological aspects
of evolution in sustainable energy technologies. In J Murphy (Ed)
Framing The Present, Shaping The Future: Contemporary Governance
Of Sustainable Technologies. London: Earthscan, pp 63-86.
Devine-Wright, H and Devine-Wright, P (2006) Prospects for Smart
Metering in the UK in T Jamash, M Pollitt, and W Nuttall (Eds)
Future Technologies for a Sustainable Electricity System.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp 403-417.
Devine-Wright, H and Devine-Wright, P (2004) From Demand Side
Management to Demand Side Participation: towards an environmental
psychology of sustainable electricity system evolution. Revista
de Psihologie Aplicata/Journal of Applied Psychology, Special
issue on Evaluating for Innovation: Social Design of Sustainable
Places, 6(3-4), 167-177.
March 2009
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