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What informal communication about the energy transition tells us : to what extent do professionals in the renewable energy sector act as change agents in this socio-technical process?

Frister, Maren (2022) What informal communication about the energy transition tells us : to what extent do professionals in the renewable energy sector act as change agents in this socio-technical process?

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Abstract:Purpose: These days, the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies gets increasingly important, especially considering the recent geopolitical development due to the Ukraine war. To succeed, the energy transition should be regarded as a socio-technical and communicative challenge that connects society and technology. Thereby, the perspectives of various societal members need to be aligned to master the communication of the energy transition throughout society. This study adds to the existing literature on how to facilitate such a socio-technical change process. It examines to what extent professionals in the renewable energy sector act as change agents of the energy transition by informal communication with their peer environment. Methods: To answer the main question, semi-structured online interviews with 15 professionals in the renewable energy branch have been conducted, ranging between 25 and 50 minutes. Open questions were asked about professionals’ knowledge and attitude regarding the energy transition, the conversations they hold with peers and why, and how their peer environment responded regarding the topic of interest. Results: The main results indicate that participants regularly talked with their peers about the energy transition in informal situations and, thereby, took examples that were close to people’s realities. The professionals aimed to inform their environment, raise awareness, or persuade their peers of their viewpoints regarding the energy transition through their expert knowledge in the socio, political, economic, or technical areas. The informal conversations were triggered by the professionals’ job positions or the Ukraine war. The peers reacted either open-minded or not interested. Conclusion: It can be concluded that professionals in the renewable energy branch act as change agents to a high extent through informal communication with their peer environment in different situations. Due to their specific knowledge and intentions to sustainably influence their peer environment regarding the topic of interest, the energy transition is facilitated, especially from a societal perspective. Hence, to further any change processes in society, it could be focused on professionals working in the specific domain. They could act as intermediaries between the highly complex backgrounds of a societal shift and members of society, especially by informal communication in a private setting.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:05 communication studies
Programme:Communication Studies BSc (56615)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/91205
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