Iain Soutar
Biographic Data
| ID | 4785182 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Iain Soutar |
| GIVEN NAMES | Iain |
| FAMILY NAME | Soutar |
| SIGNATURE | SOUTAR I |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Exeter |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8291-9878 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 40 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 10 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
The emerging triad wired together
Prospects for public participation in energy transitions in Canada
In Canada, climate change and the rising cost of fossil fuel‐based energy are driving a transition to cleaner local energy systems—combining renewable energy, storage, and smart devices. While these technologies are important, without public support and participation, they will not ensure a just and sustainable transition. In this context, we analyze data from a nationally representative survey (n = 941) of Canadians’ views towards local energy s…
Energy democracy, public participation, and support for local energy system change in Canada
In the face of climate change and associated energy system change, there is a growing literature and more general recognition of the ‘four Ds’ (decarbonization, decentralization, digitalization, and democratization). Yet there has been very little quantitative work that analyzes public perceptions of these changes. Utilizing data from a Canada-wide, nationally representative survey (n = 941), this study conducted provincial and regional assessmen…
Clear support for an unclear concept? Public attitudes towards local energy systems in the United Kingdom
Decentralisation offers one route to energy system decarbonisation, and local energy systems (LES) provide focal points for decentralisation. LES involve the integration of different generation, storage, and demand-side technologies across heat, power, and transport systems, within defined localities. Public support is necessary for LES deployment at pace and scale, but while past research has examined public attitudes towards individual technolo…
The best-laid plans
To be fair, acceptable and ultimately successful, decentralised energy projects involving technological innovations require engagement with users, local communities and wider publics. Yet relatively few studies have adopted a dynamic, temporal approach to understand how publics are engaged with as projects develop over time. We address this gap by researching three case studies of ‘Smart Local Energy System’ (SLES) demonstrator projects involving…
Energy democracy
Academic exploration of energy democracy has produced a rich theorization of its foundations that exhibits significant pluralism in response to different geographic, social, ideological and technical contexts. This paper develops the literature by considering how sociotechnical transitions associated with energy system digitalization may affect the theory and praxis of energy democracy. Our analysis draws on three dimensions of energy democracy: …
Dancing with complexity
Engaging stakeholders in research to address water–energy–food (WEF) nexus challenges
The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus has become a popular, and potentially powerful, frame through which to analyse interactions and interdependencies between these three systems. Though the case for transdisciplinary research in this space has been made, the extent of stakeholder engagement in research remains limited with stakeholders most commonly incorporated in research as end-users. Yet, stakeholders interact with nexus issues in a variety of …
Stepping‐up innovations in the water–energy–food nexus
Grand societal challenges such as climate change, poverty and biodiversity loss call for rapid and radical changes to systems of production and consumption. Consequently, there is a growing interest in the dynamics of innovation, both social and technical, to accelerate innovation diffusion so as to increase the possibility of a step‐change or large‐scale transition. Research on the water–energy–food nexus adds an additional dimension to existing…
Towards pragmatic narratives of societal engagement in the UK energy system
Energy democracy
Academic exploration of energy democracy has produced a rich theorization of its foundations that exhibits significant pluralism in response to different geographic, social, ideological and technical contexts. This paper develops the literature by considering how sociotechnical transitions associated with energy system digitalization may affect the theory and praxis of energy democracy. Our analysis draws on three dimensions of energy democracy: …
Towards pragmatic narratives of societal engagement in the UK energy system
Engaging stakeholders in research to address water–energy–food (WEF) nexus challenges
The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus has become a popular, and potentially powerful, frame through which to analyse interactions and interdependencies between these three systems. Though the case for transdisciplinary research in this space has been made, the extent of stakeholder engagement in research remains limited with stakeholders most commonly incorporated in research as end-users. Yet, stakeholders interact with nexus issues in a variety of …
Stepping‐up innovations in the water–energy–food nexus
Grand societal challenges such as climate change, poverty and biodiversity loss call for rapid and radical changes to systems of production and consumption. Consequently, there is a growing interest in the dynamics of innovation, both social and technical, to accelerate innovation diffusion so as to increase the possibility of a step‐change or large‐scale transition. Research on the water–energy–food nexus adds an additional dimension to existing…
Energy democracy, public participation, and support for local energy system change in Canada
In the face of climate change and associated energy system change, there is a growing literature and more general recognition of the ‘four Ds’ (decarbonization, decentralization, digitalization, and democratization). Yet there has been very little quantitative work that analyzes public perceptions of these changes. Utilizing data from a Canada-wide, nationally representative survey (n = 941), this study conducted provincial and regional assessmen…
Dancing with complexity
The best-laid plans
To be fair, acceptable and ultimately successful, decentralised energy projects involving technological innovations require engagement with users, local communities and wider publics. Yet relatively few studies have adopted a dynamic, temporal approach to understand how publics are engaged with as projects develop over time. We address this gap by researching three case studies of ‘Smart Local Energy System’ (SLES) demonstrator projects involving…
Towards pragmatic narratives of societal engagement in the UK energy system
Engaging stakeholders in research to address water–energy–food (WEF) nexus challenges
The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus has become a popular, and potentially powerful, frame through which to analyse interactions and interdependencies between these three systems. Though the case for transdisciplinary research in this space has been made, the extent of stakeholder engagement in research remains limited with stakeholders most commonly incorporated in research as end-users. Yet, stakeholders interact with nexus issues in a variety of …
Stepping‐up innovations in the water–energy–food nexus
Grand societal challenges such as climate change, poverty and biodiversity loss call for rapid and radical changes to systems of production and consumption. Consequently, there is a growing interest in the dynamics of innovation, both social and technical, to accelerate innovation diffusion so as to increase the possibility of a step‐change or large‐scale transition. Research on the water–energy–food nexus adds an additional dimension to existing…
Dancing with complexity
Energy democracy
Academic exploration of energy democracy has produced a rich theorization of its foundations that exhibits significant pluralism in response to different geographic, social, ideological and technical contexts. This paper develops the literature by considering how sociotechnical transitions associated with energy system digitalization may affect the theory and praxis of energy democracy. Our analysis draws on three dimensions of energy democracy: …
The best-laid plans
To be fair, acceptable and ultimately successful, decentralised energy projects involving technological innovations require engagement with users, local communities and wider publics. Yet relatively few studies have adopted a dynamic, temporal approach to understand how publics are engaged with as projects develop over time. We address this gap by researching three case studies of ‘Smart Local Energy System’ (SLES) demonstrator projects involving…
Energy democracy, public participation, and support for local energy system change in Canada
In the face of climate change and associated energy system change, there is a growing literature and more general recognition of the ‘four Ds’ (decarbonization, decentralization, digitalization, and democratization). Yet there has been very little quantitative work that analyzes public perceptions of these changes. Utilizing data from a Canada-wide, nationally representative survey (n = 941), this study conducted provincial and regional assessmen…
Clear support for an unclear concept? Public attitudes towards local energy systems in the United Kingdom
Decentralisation offers one route to energy system decarbonisation, and local energy systems (LES) provide focal points for decentralisation. LES involve the integration of different generation, storage, and demand-side technologies across heat, power, and transport systems, within defined localities. Public support is necessary for LES deployment at pace and scale, but while past research has examined public attitudes towards individual technolo…
Prospects for public participation in energy transitions in Canada
In Canada, climate change and the rising cost of fossil fuel‐based energy are driving a transition to cleaner local energy systems—combining renewable energy, storage, and smart devices. While these technologies are important, without public support and participation, they will not ensure a just and sustainable transition. In this context, we analyze data from a nationally representative survey (n = 941) of Canadians’ views towards local energy s…
The emerging triad wired together
Political science (7 works) · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance (6 works) · Energy and Environment Impacts (5 works) · Politics (5 works) · Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy (5 works) · Computer Science (4 works) · Economics (4 works) · Democracy (3 works) · Economic system (3 works) · Energy (signal processing (3 works)