Books by Breffní Lennon
Living with Energy Poverty: Perspectives from the Global North and South, 2024
Living with Energy Poverty: Perspectives from the Global North and South expands our collective u... more Living with Energy Poverty: Perspectives from the Global North and South expands our collective understanding of energy poverty and deepens our recognition of the phenomenon by engaging with the lived experiences of energy-poor households across different contexts. Understanding the lived experience of energy poverty is an essential component in the design of any effort to alleviate what is fundamentally a deep-rooted, multi-faceted, wickedly complex problem. This requires a nuanced understanding of the causal factors and the research methods that can respond to the flexible spatial and temporal nature of the condition, as well as its wellbeing and justice implications. Drawing together the expertise and connectedness of authors from the Global South and North, this book presents novel approaches to understanding the often hidden forms of domestic energy deprivation. Case studies from 20 countries provide critical perspectives on this phenomenon while analysing the policy practices, government strategy, and sustainability implications of divergent manifestations. The book takes a multidimensional perspective, challenging the bias towards energy production and service provision, which often do not align with the aspirations and realities of energy households across global contexts, thus facilitating a useful dialogue on the nature of energy poverty. The book is a timely source for policymakers, practitioners, and scholars seeking fresh, diverse insights into the everyday reality of energy poverty and wanting to better understand the challenges a people-centred, just energy transition can present.
Book Chapters by Breffní Lennon
Living with Energy Poverty: Perspectives from the Global North and South, 2023
Energy poverty can manifest itself in households unable, for reasons of access and/or affordabili... more Energy poverty can manifest itself in households unable, for reasons of access and/or affordability, to source clean energy for necessities such as heat, light, cooling, cooking, and appliance use, or having to use an excessive portion of their disposable income to provide these essentials. Developing more effective responses to this social challenge necessitates a deeper appreciation of energy poverty and the different ways in which it manifests. While there has been some arguing for the importance of appreciating the lived experience of the energy poor, much of the literature on energy poverty has tended to be quantitative in nature. Work within the EnergyMeasures project identified a gap between the macro- and meso-level analysis of energy poverty and the identification of individual energy poor households. Energy poverty is fundamentally a human condition. The various definitions of energy poverty speak of people being unable to access or afford sufficient energy to meet their basic service needs.
Living with Energy Poverty: Perspectives from the Global North and South , 2023
For the first time in decades, the price pressures and economic upheaval primarily caused by the ... more For the first time in decades, the price pressures and economic upheaval primarily caused by the global energy crisis – sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and post-COVID pandemic supply chain stress – have led to a rise in the number of people without access to energy. The human consequences of energy poverty include a significant deterioration in physical health and mental well-being, along with premature death due to severe winter and summer conditions, unhealthy and/or restricted lifestyles, and social exclusion. There have been efforts to reduce energy poverty in both developing and developed countries over the past few decades. The need for electricity grid expansion has long been articulated in developing and developed contexts since the first half of the 20th century. More recently, global energy markets and their effects on energy availability and prices, as well as pressing environmental concerns, have induced a surge in research on energy deprivation, a condition that previously had little public recognition.
Living with Energy Poverty Perspectives from the Global North and South, 2023
This chapter discusses findings from an ongoing Horizon 2020 project, EnergyMeasures, relating to... more This chapter discusses findings from an ongoing Horizon 2020 project, EnergyMeasures, relating to identifying and recruiting energy-poor households in seven participating countries (BE, BG, IE, MK, NL, PL, and UK). Understanding the wicked problem of energy poverty is not an easy undertaking and is replete with multiple layers of complexity across numerous intersecting societal and environmental scales. Practitioners tasked with engaging energy-poor households acknowledge the difficulties involved, especially when trying to connect with those hard-to-reach households who may or may not identify as energy poor. While this chapter draws from experiences in Europe, the range and depth of practical knowledges held by the consortium partners allowed us to uncover a range of nuanced and considered approaches one can take on the topic that reflect the historical, cultural, and environmental factors specific to each country. Consequently, we critique these approaches to identifying and measuring energy vulnerability, especially indicators of energy poverty and so-called supporting indicators. As is noted throughout this book, the focus on energy poverty analysis has tended to stay at the macro-, or meso-, levels while understanding contexts at the local level often remain underdeveloped or ignored. In keeping with the overall theme of the book, approaches on how to appropriately identify energy-poor households are drawn from both the literature and experiences of practitioners active ‘in the field’.
The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Change, 2023
This chapter explores the phenomenon of the ‘energy citizen’ and the role she is expected to play... more This chapter explores the phenomenon of the ‘energy citizen’ and the role she is expected to play in the current global energy transition. If there is to be an essentially just transition, those tasked with leading it must account for the intersectional experiences of all citizens when planning and building the new energy infrastructures of the low-carbon future. This has not been the case to date, which is strange given the energy system is fundamentally a social system. While citizen participation in the energy domain offers very real transformative potential for both the energy system and the wider socio-political arena, the tendency up until now has been to characterize participation along very qualified terms. These have tended to focus on the roles and expectations of individuals, with that floating signifier the ‘energy citizen’ gaining currency in a number of policy-making arenas. The chapter critiques and examines the many contradictions around citizen participation and posits the question, is this a real mark of change or just another illusory late Capitalocene chimera?
Energy Democracies for Sustainable Futures, 2023
Given the deep, transformative, and systemic changes needed to transition to low-carbon energy co... more Given the deep, transformative, and systemic changes needed to transition to low-carbon energy configurations, the current level of socio-political discourse remains calcified around classic understandings of the role of the citizen and normative representations of participation. These are almost exclusively framed in terms of consumption behaviors and practices. This merging of citizenship and consumerism is deeply problematic on a number of levels. By narrowly defining the potential of citizens to the singular role of consumer, there is a very real risk we will not achieve the socio-technical transformations that must take place if we are to mitigate against runaway climate change. This chapter explores these issues in the context of a growing body of literature on competing for energy democracy imaginaries. Significant barriers remain, from misunderstandings of what constitutes participation to the roles and expectations placed on citizens who must contend with the growing inequalities already locked into existing democratic structures.
The Handbook of Energy Transitions, 2022
Writing in the late 1980s, Jon Fiske describes reality as “always encoded [and most especially] b... more Writing in the late 1980s, Jon Fiske describes reality as “always encoded [and most especially] by the codes of our culture”. The energy transition is one of the latest sets of realities that comes with its own encoded messaging and nomenclatures. Citizens are increasingly expected to actively participate in the energy domain and play their part in transitioning to low-carbon energy systems. Terms like “energy citizen” have been used to describe (the accepted forms of) this participation, typically in quite prescriptive and rather limited roles, such as active consumer and prosumer. However, as with other manifestations of citizen-consumer ideals, where the framing is presented as the embodiment of freedom, the vagueness of such terms lock citizens out of what could potentially be a transformative conceptualization for transitioning to more equitable and empowering energy experiences. This chapter will examine how under-theorized and contested concepts like the “energy citizen” are already framing our collective experience(s) of the energy transition and asks for whom is the emerging energy system designed?
Peer Reviewed Journals by Breffní Lennon
Open Research Europe, 2024
This open letter captures key insights and recommendations from five European projects—HESTIA, SE... more This open letter captures key insights and recommendations from five European projects—HESTIA, SENDER, ReDREAM, ACCEPT, and iFLEX—focused on consumer engagement in Demand Response (DR) initiatives. Highlighting diverse and effective engagement strategies, including co-creation activities and virtual home tours, the letter underscores project partners' commitment to tailored and impactful user engagement. Emphasising phased organisation, varied tools, and keyword utilisation aligned with engagement timelines, the projects recognize adaptability, motivation, and eligibility as essential elements in crafting engaging recruitment materials. Addressing diverse contexts, continuous assessment is pivotal for achieving co- creation and active participation. The insights contribute to the evolving energy transition landscape, offering practical guidelines for those implementing or contemplating DR engagement strategies.
Scientific Reports, 2024
The human use of energy is inherently understood and experienced through socially constructed fra... more The human use of energy is inherently understood and experienced through socially constructed frameworks. However, the degree of engagement with this topic on the part of humanities and the social sciences has until recently been uneven at best. This seems strange given current upheavals experienced in Europe and across the globe as the climate and biodiversity crises deepen. At the centre of all these crises is the energy system. Energy flows through various forms of natural and social circuitry (from production, to distribution and consumption) and these energyscapes are sited at the local, national, and transnational scales. The correlation between the (meta)physical flows taken by the various forms of energy we depend on-and the transitory social, cultural, economic, and political relationships that frame them-require much deeper study if we are to achieve the types of sustainable communities envisaged by the United Nations as part of its sustainable development goals (SDGs) for 2030. Arising from a review of current literature, this article presents recent research into the forming of citizen energy communities in Europe and the governance structures designed to facilitate their development. It also highlights the key drivers and barriers to citizen engagement with emergent, novel energetic communities.
Notwithstanding the diversification discourses on the energy transition, the supply of energy rem... more Notwithstanding the diversification discourses on the energy transition, the supply of energy remains substantially organized along traditional power structures, namely large-scale generation facilities and centralized grids. Until recently, there has been little or no citizen involvement beyond that of consumer, bounded by the supply and demand parameters of the market. However, this is changing. Citizens are increasingly encouraged to take on more diverse roles, ranging from active consumer to more participative prosumer arrangements. This shift offers what have heretofore been unlikely opportunities, particularly in terms of the democratization and diversification of how energy is produced and consumed. Two vehicles to emerge from a recent policy cycle of the European Union are Citizen Energy Communities (CECs) and Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). Both legal entities (in the EU at least) frame a diverse range of financial instruments, business models, and citizen groupings that typically comprise the new energy infrastructure projects that characterize the Energy Transition in Europe. This presentation will introduce findings from the ACCEPT H2020 project, for which the authors utilized a multi-level analysis of the intersecting governance and sociopolitical frameworks that impact CEC formation. From this, we were able to develop a typology of key drivers and obstacles motivating citizen participation in CEC and REC projects across Europe.
The transition to more sustainable energy systems has set about redefining the social roles and r... more The transition to more sustainable energy systems has set about redefining the social roles and responsibilities of citizens. Implicit in this are expectations around participation, though the precise contours of what this might mean remain open. Debates around the energy transition have been skewed towards a normative construct of what it means to be a ‘good citizen’, the parameters for which are shaped by predetermined visions of statist and/or market-driven determinations of the energy systems of the future. This article argues that concepts such as ‘energy citizen’ are co-opted to reflect popular neoliberal discourses, and ignore crucial questions of unequal agency and access to resources. Paradoxically, official discourses that push responsibility for the energy transition onto the ‘citizen-as- consumer’ effectively remove agency from citizens, leaving them largely disconnected and disempowered. Consequently, energy citizenship needs to be reconceptualised to incorporate more collective and inclusive contexts for action. Considering how much energy consumption occurs in (traditionally female) domestic spheres, do conventional notions of citizenship (especially with regards to its associated rights and duties) need to be recalibrated in order for the concept to be usefully applied to the energy transition?
Energy, Sustainability and Society, 2019
Background Every energy transition has had its winners and its losers, both economically and in t... more Background Every energy transition has had its winners and its losers, both economically and in terms of social justice and community cohesion. The current transition is no different given the complex, intersecting matrices of power and experience that influence the key stakeholders and actors involved. Local oppositions to the deployment of renewable energy technologies have been significantly higher than expected. In numerous instances, these oppositions have been in reaction to the disempowerment of local rights and entitlements associated with specific developments. Consequently, there is a clear need for governance structures and organisational formats that are participatory, inclusive and mindful of the lived experiences of local people. Despite the knowledge gaps and financial constraints that continue to persist, how can local communities become empowered to drive project development and meaningfully engage in the low-carbon energy transition? Methods This paper presents a m...
International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2020
Energy transition debates have been characterized by a strong emphasis on the technical implicati... more Energy transition debates have been characterized by a strong emphasis on the technical implications of shifting away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, with little consideration of social contexts. This is now changing, with a growing emphasis on reconfiguring the social aspects of energy, particularly in terms of introducing more democratic processes into behavior change and energy practice engagements. This article situates itself within these debates and demonstrates the transformative potential of combining participatory action research (PAR) approaches with a modified Delphi method for understanding energy transition issues, particularly beyond forecasting instruments. There remains a dearth in literature combining the Delphi method with PAR; its application in the field of energy transitions is very innovative. PAR draws from grassroots and local-based knowledge, Delphi panels typically focus on the insights from a panel of professional experts. In combining these two approaches, to develop principles for an inclusive and just energy transition, a reflexive form of dialogue emerges that gives voice to what are often considered dissonant or mismatched perspectives. Furthermore, the experimental use of a modified Delphi panel, combined with PAR, offers a strategy to promote knowledge sharing between different groups and to counter potential communication barriers among different actors in society. This article shows how a modified Delphi panel approach is considerably enhanced by combining elements of PAR, raising the potential of Delphi panels beyond forecasting instruments, which often seek to determine the way the future "will be," toward an envisioning tool that collaboratively seeks to explore the way a low-carbon system "could be," or perhaps "should be." The development of energy transition principles, endorsed through the modified Delphi panel, offers a concrete way to enact practices of energy justice within a more democratized energy system.
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2018
Behaviour, practices and culture constitute a powerful human factor in the energy system; in part... more Behaviour, practices and culture constitute a powerful human factor in the energy system; in particular the interactions between technologies, practices and norms lock individuals in to certain patterns of (often inefficient) energy use. Consequently, behaviour change has gained traction amongst policymakers as a key area of intervention given the impact energy-related behaviours have on climate change. Given the increasing emphasis within policy perspectives in the European Union, it is surprising that a gap in understanding of the success factors of behaviour change initiatives remains. This paper addresses this gap by identifying and characterising behaviour change initiatives across five European countries (the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, and Spain). The paper provides insights into the success factors and commonly encountered barriers to behaviour change initiatives. Initiatives are classified into 6 broad categories (community-based interventions; information and awareness based interventions; eco-districts; show-case events; energy switching; and smart-technology focused interventions). The results suggest that there are significant knowledge gaps between what is known to work to engage individuals in behavioural change and what is currently being applied in practice. An over-reliance on education and awareness-raising projects is evident, illustrating that such projects do not sufficiently aim for sustained behavioural changes. A dearth of projects incorporating fiscal measures, regulations or legislation to drive behaviour change reflects reluctance on behalf of decision-makers to engage widely with diverse approaches to foster lifestyle change. This paper contributes understandings of the different models and delivery tools employed to change energy-related behaviours; insights into the critical success factors that underpin best practice and the barriers to action; and a ‘what works in practice’ overview of the meaningful approaches to change behaviour.
Chimera: The UCC Geographical Journal , 2010
This article charts the evolution of renewable energy policy in Ireland, from its beginnings in t... more This article charts the evolution of renewable energy policy in Ireland, from its beginnings in the 1970s to the present day. It will suggest that national policy was not always coherent and often confusing to practitioners operating within the wind energy industry. It will also show how renewable energy policy was often implemented along the ideological framework of neoliberalism with government supports being awarded at a minimum cost to the exchequer; thus favouring large-scale business interests over smaller, community-focused initiatives seen elsewhere in Europe. This over-reliance, in turn, produced very different outcomes than where initially expected and led the Irish government to change its strategy, once the failures could no longer be ignored.
Chimera: The UCC Geographical Journal, 2009
This article assesses ecological modernisation as a theoretical tool to explain how modernising e... more This article assesses ecological modernisation as a theoretical tool to explain how modernising energy networks and the globalised localities, which are sited within these networks, respond to inter/national policies on climate change. The past twenty years has seen an increase in sophistication in debates around what role the theory of ecological modernisation plays in explaining this current phase of modernity, with its heightened structural complexity coupled with a growing acceptance of the finite state of our natural resources.
Conference Proceedings by Breffní Lennon
Conference Proceedings of the STS Conference Graz 2022, 2022
Past energy transitions have been characterised by strategic geopolitical and socio-economic driv... more Past energy transitions have been characterised by strategic geopolitical and socio-economic drivers that rarely considered issues of social justice or community cohesion. This is interesting given the profound systemic reconfigurations that took place. The current transition to low-carbon energy has seen a departure of sorts, particularly in terms of the complex, intersecting drivers involved. Consequently, there has been a widening of the roles citizens are expected to take, particularly in terms of participation and engaging with the energy system. However, differing interpretations of how these roles are to be expressed, and the degree of power to be assigned those roles, has resulted in contradicting responses from local people. The rollout of what appear to be broadly popular renewable energy technologies has met with strong resistance at the local level. Place attachment – especially in terms of belonging, identity, relationships, and acceptance – has come to define localised responses to recent (inter)national energy and climate-related policy. Understanding how place attachment affects the (re)negotiating of local understandings of place is therefore important, as is its role in sustaining narratives of resistance to locally unpopular strategic energy projects. This paper will present findings from the SEAI-funded project, EnergyPolities and cognate work, which explored how governance structures intersect with socio-economic and key socio-cultural factors to influence the social acceptability or otherwise of current energy transition pathways. It will also examine recent responses from powerful actors challenged by emerging citizen participation and engagement roles, and discusses the tactics used to limit the diversity of voices and perspectives in the energy transition.
Proceedings, Dec 6, 2017
This paper outlines the methodology of a Knowledge and Communication Platform (KCP) as part of th... more This paper outlines the methodology of a Knowledge and Communication Platform (KCP) as part of the Horizon2020 project Energy System Transition Through Stakeholder Activation, Education and Skills Development (ENTRUST). The ENTRUST project provides a mapping of Europe’s energy system and an in-depth understanding of how human behaviour around energy is shaped by both technological systems and socio-demographic factors. Central to the project is an in-depth engagement with six communities across Europe. The purpose of the KCP is to disseminate and share knowledge and to facilitate and promote dialogue on energy efficiency and transitioning to a low carbon system.
Published Reports by Breffní Lennon
Environmental Research Institute, 2019
With contributions from:
Harriet Emerson, Niall P. Dunphy, Clare Watson, Breffni Lennon, James Gl... more With contributions from:
Harriet Emerson, Niall P. Dunphy, Clare Watson, Breffni Lennon, James Glynn, Fionn Rogan, Edmond Byrne, Evan Boyle, Connor McGookin, Sonja Smith, Frances Fahy, Barry O’Dwyer, Diarmuid Torney, Pat Brereton, John Morrissey, Mary Greene, Stephan Hugel, James Carroll, Ruth Doyle, Eugene Farrell, Liam Carr, Geertje Schuitema
European Energy Poverty Agenda Co Creation and Knowledge Innovation (ENGAGER), 2022
This Toolkit is part of COST Action CA16232 - European Energy Poverty: Agenda Co-Creation and Kno... more This Toolkit is part of COST Action CA16232 - European Energy Poverty: Agenda Co-Creation and Knowledge Innovation, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), an EU funding agency for research and innovation networks (www.cost.eu). COST Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. ENGAGER brings together a diverse and extensive body of stakeholders to help understand and address the energy poverty challenge. ENGAGER consists of four Working Groups (WGs). This Toolkit is prepared by WG 3 on ‘Dialogues - Co-producing emancipatory research and practice. For more information visit:
http://www.engager-energy.net/
Editors: Marlies Hesselman ● Sergio Tirado-Herrero ● Marilyn Smith ●
Marine Cornelis
Contributors Íñigo Antepara ● Anna Bajomi ● Roberto Barrella ● Umberto Cao ● Souran Chatterjee ● Teresa Cuerdo ● Audrey Dobbins ● Giovanni Frigo ● Sara Fuller ● Mariëlle Feenstra ●João Pedro Gouveia ● Rachel Guyet ● Vivien Kizilcec ● Breffni Lennon ● Irene González Pijuán ● Slavica Robić ● Caitlin Robinson ● Nevena Smilevska ● Anaïs Varo ● Hyerim Yoon ● Lidija Živčič
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Books by Breffní Lennon
Book Chapters by Breffní Lennon
Peer Reviewed Journals by Breffní Lennon
Conference Proceedings by Breffní Lennon
Published Reports by Breffní Lennon
Harriet Emerson, Niall P. Dunphy, Clare Watson, Breffni Lennon, James Glynn, Fionn Rogan, Edmond Byrne, Evan Boyle, Connor McGookin, Sonja Smith, Frances Fahy, Barry O’Dwyer, Diarmuid Torney, Pat Brereton, John Morrissey, Mary Greene, Stephan Hugel, James Carroll, Ruth Doyle, Eugene Farrell, Liam Carr, Geertje Schuitema
http://www.engager-energy.net/
Editors: Marlies Hesselman ● Sergio Tirado-Herrero ● Marilyn Smith ●
Marine Cornelis
Contributors Íñigo Antepara ● Anna Bajomi ● Roberto Barrella ● Umberto Cao ● Souran Chatterjee ● Teresa Cuerdo ● Audrey Dobbins ● Giovanni Frigo ● Sara Fuller ● Mariëlle Feenstra ●João Pedro Gouveia ● Rachel Guyet ● Vivien Kizilcec ● Breffni Lennon ● Irene González Pijuán ● Slavica Robić ● Caitlin Robinson ● Nevena Smilevska ● Anaïs Varo ● Hyerim Yoon ● Lidija Živčič
Harriet Emerson, Niall P. Dunphy, Clare Watson, Breffni Lennon, James Glynn, Fionn Rogan, Edmond Byrne, Evan Boyle, Connor McGookin, Sonja Smith, Frances Fahy, Barry O’Dwyer, Diarmuid Torney, Pat Brereton, John Morrissey, Mary Greene, Stephan Hugel, James Carroll, Ruth Doyle, Eugene Farrell, Liam Carr, Geertje Schuitema
http://www.engager-energy.net/
Editors: Marlies Hesselman ● Sergio Tirado-Herrero ● Marilyn Smith ●
Marine Cornelis
Contributors Íñigo Antepara ● Anna Bajomi ● Roberto Barrella ● Umberto Cao ● Souran Chatterjee ● Teresa Cuerdo ● Audrey Dobbins ● Giovanni Frigo ● Sara Fuller ● Mariëlle Feenstra ●João Pedro Gouveia ● Rachel Guyet ● Vivien Kizilcec ● Breffni Lennon ● Irene González Pijuán ● Slavica Robić ● Caitlin Robinson ● Nevena Smilevska ● Anaïs Varo ● Hyerim Yoon ● Lidija Živčič
This report should be considered in conjunction with its companion deliverable, D3.9 Energy Governance Analysis and Typology for Communities. Taken together, they provide an overview of the key factors currently impacting CEC formation in Europe and the governance frameworks that are driving it
This research seeks to understand the processes which influence the successful, or otherwise, completion of onshore wind farms in counties Cork and Kerry, and how these actions in turn feed back into the policy processes of government with regards to renewable energies. At present, Cork and Kerry contribute over 22% of Ireland’s total wind energy output of ‘1244.65MW generated from 105 wind farms in 22 counties’(IWEA), thus highlighting their importance in meeting Ireland’s EU obligations in tackling Climate Change and reducing carbon emissions. As one interviewee has stated ‘…what happens in Cork/Kerry is pretty much representative of what happens in the country at large’ and therefore warrants attention if we are to understand how onshore wind farms will develop into the future within a broader, all-island context.
Using Ecological Modernisation Theory as a framework within which to understand the processes which influence the successful, or otherwise, completion of onshore wind farms in counties Cork and Kerry, this presentation will also look at how these actions in turn feed back into the policy processes of national government. At present, Cork and Kerry contribute over 22% of Ireland’s total wind energy output, thus highlighting their importance in meeting Ireland’s EU obligations in tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions. As one industry commentator has stated ‘…what happens in Cork/Kerry is pretty much representative of what happens in the country at large’ and therefore warrants attention if we are to understand how onshore wind farms will continue to be developed into the future within a broader, all-island context.