IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v12y2019i3p339-d199959.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Energy System and the Sharing Economy: Interfaces and Overlaps and What to Learn from Them

Author

Listed:
  • Frederik Plewnia

    (Faculty of Business and Economics, Chair of Sustainable Management and Environmental Accounting, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
    Boysen TU Dresden Research Training Group, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany)

Abstract

The dissemination of decentralized renewable energy generation, storage and smart metering devices has led to the need for new business models and coordination mechanisms in the energy sector. At the same time, the emerging sharing economy focuses on using digital platforms to coordinate value creation on a decentralized level. While sharing concepts have already been applied to specific energy technologies and microgrids, a more general understanding of what the sharing economy means in the context of the energy sector is still missing. This paper aims to bring these two topics together and to analyze their interfaces and overlaps. For this purpose, this paper draws from existent scientific publications, reports, blog posts, and websites as well as company workshops to discuss which activities and characteristics of the sharing economy might be applicable to the energy sector. Results show that there are significant overlaps in characteristics of the sharing economy and of the transitioning energy system. Furthermore, a broad range of business models within the energy system were found to be based on sharing resources. The findings of this study open up a range of new research and business opportunities at the interface of the sharing economy and the transitioning energy system.

Suggested Citation

  • Frederik Plewnia, 2019. "The Energy System and the Sharing Economy: Interfaces and Overlaps and What to Learn from Them," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-17, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:3:p:339-:d:199959
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/3/339/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/3/339/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lombardi, P. & Schwabe, F., 2017. "Sharing economy as a new business model for energy storage systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 485-496.
    2. Mengelkamp, Esther & Gärttner, Johannes & Rock, Kerstin & Kessler, Scott & Orsini, Lawrence & Weinhardt, Christof, 2018. "Designing microgrid energy markets," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 870-880.
    3. Yael Parag & Benjamin K. Sovacool, 2016. "Electricity market design for the prosumer era," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 1(4), pages 1-6, April.
    4. Jian Wang & Qianggang Wang & Niancheng Zhou & Yuan Chi, 2017. "A Novel Electricity Transaction Mode of Microgrids Based on Blockchain and Continuous Double Auction," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-22, November.
    5. Giotitsas, Chris & Pazaitis, Alex & Kostakis, Vasilis, 2015. "A peer-to-peer approach to energy production," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 28-38.
    6. Qi, Wei & Shen, Bo & Zhang, Hongcai & Shen, Zuo-Jun Max, 2017. "Sharing demand-side energy resources - A conceptual design," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 455-465.
    7. Liu, Jingkun & Zhang, Ning & Kang, Chongqing & Kirschen, Daniel & Xia, Qing, 2017. "Cloud energy storage for residential and small commercial consumers: A business case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 226-236.
    8. Acquier, Aurélien & Daudigeos, Thibault & Pinkse, Jonatan, 2017. "Promises and paradoxes of the sharing economy: An organizing framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 1-10.
    9. Nian Liu & Bin Guo & Zifa Liu & Yongli Wang, 2018. "Distributed Energy Sharing for PVT-HP Prosumers in Community Energy Internet: A Consensus Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-18, July.
    10. Belk, Russell, 2014. "You are what you can access: Sharing and collaborative consumption online," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(8), pages 1595-1600.
    11. Müller, Simon C. & Welpe, Isabell M., 2018. "Sharing electricity storage at the community level: An empirical analysis of potential business models and barriers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 492-503.
    12. Engelken, Maximilian & Römer, Benedikt & Drescher, Marcus & Welpe, Isabell M. & Picot, Arnold, 2016. "Comparing drivers, barriers, and opportunities of business models for renewable energies: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 795-809.
    13. Gabriel B. Grant & Thomas P. Seager & Guillaume Massard & Loring Nies, 2010. "Information and Communication Technology for Industrial Symbiosis," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 14(5), pages 740-753, October.
    14. Cristiano Codagnone & Bertin Martens, 2016. "Scoping the Sharing Economy: Origins, Definitions, Impact and Regulatory Issues," JRC Working Papers on Digital Economy 2016-01, Joint Research Centre.
    15. Bolton, Ronan & Hannon, Matthew, 2016. "Governing sustainability transitions through business model innovation: Towards a systems understanding," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(9), pages 1731-1742.
    16. Richter, Mario, 2013. "Business model innovation for sustainable energy: German utilities and renewable energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1226-1237.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Michael J. Fell & Alexandra Schneiders & David Shipworth, 2019. "Consumer Demand for Blockchain-Enabled Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading in the United Kingdom: An Online Survey Experiment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-25, October.
    2. Pia Szichta & Ingela Tietze, 2020. "Sharing Economy in der Elektrizitätswirtschaft: Treiber und Hemmnisse [Title sharing economy in the electricity sector: drivers and barriers]," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 109-125, December.
    3. Shirazi, Masoud, 2022. "Assessing energy trilemma-related policies: The world's large energy user evidence," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    4. Maarten Wolsink, 2020. "Framing in Renewable Energy Policies: A Glossary," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-31, June.
    5. Cabral, Natália Gomes Cavalcante & Gohr, Cláudia Fabiana, 2023. "Sustainable value creation in sharing economy: Conceptual framework proposition and application in Brazilian offline communities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    6. Chie Hoon Song, 2021. "Exploring and Predicting the Knowledge Development in the Field of Energy Storage: Evidence from the Emerging Startup Landscape," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-20, September.
    7. Sabina Scarpellini & José Ángel Gimeno & Pilar Portillo-Tarragona & Eva Llera-Sastresa, 2021. "Financial Resources for the Investments in Renewable Self-Consumption in a Circular Economy Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-17, June.
    8. Holden, Erling & Linnerud, Kristin & Rygg, Bente Johnsen, 2021. "A review of dominant sustainable energy narratives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    9. Henni, Sarah & Staudt, Philipp & Weinhardt, Christof, 2021. "A sharing economy for residential communities with PV-coupled battery storage: Benefits, pricing and participant matching," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    10. Hong-Chao Gao & Joon-Ho Choi & Sang-Yun Yun & Seon-Ju Ahn, 2020. "A New Power Sharing Scheme of Multiple Microgrids and an Iterative Pairing-Based Scheduling Method," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-20, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sophie Adams & Donal Brown & Juan Pablo Cárdenas Álvarez & Ruzanna Chitchyan & Michael J. Fell & Ulf J. J. Hahnel & Kristina Hojckova & Charlotte Johnson & Lurian Klein & Mehdi Montakhabi & Kelvin Say, 2021. "Social and Economic Value in Emerging Decentralized Energy Business Models: A Critical Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-29, November.
    2. Wolsink, Maarten, 2020. "Distributed energy systems as common goods: Socio-political acceptance of renewables in intelligent microgrids," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    3. Michael Hamwi & Iban Lizarralde, 2019. "Demand-side management and renewable energy business models for energy transition A systematic review," Post-Print hal-02448505, HAL.
    4. Brown, Donal & Hall, Stephen & Davis, Mark E., 2019. "Prosumers in the post subsidy era: an exploration of new prosumer business models in the UK," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    5. Manuel Sánchez-Pérez & Nuria Rueda-López & María Belén Marín-Carrillo & Eduardo Terán-Yépez, 2021. "Theoretical dilemmas, conceptual review and perspectives disclosure of the sharing economy: a qualitative analysis," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(7), pages 1849-1883, October.
    6. Duch-Brown, Néstor & Rossetti, Fiammetta, 2020. "Digital platforms across the European regional energy markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    7. Chun Xia-Bauer & Florin Vondung & Stefan Thomas & Raphael Moser, 2022. "Business Model Innovations for Renewable Energy Prosumer Development in Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-17, June.
    8. Moritz Ehrtmann & Lars Holstenkamp & Timon Becker, 2021. "Regional Electricity Models for Community Energy in Germany: The Role of Governance Structures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-24, February.
    9. Müller, Simon C. & Welpe, Isabell M., 2018. "Sharing electricity storage at the community level: An empirical analysis of potential business models and barriers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 492-503.
    10. Lüth, Alexandra & Zepter, Jan Martin & Crespo del Granado, Pedro & Egging, Ruud, 2018. "Local electricity market designs for peer-to-peer trading: The role of battery flexibility," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 1233-1243.
    11. Schwidtal, J.M. & Piccini, P. & Troncia, M. & Chitchyan, R. & Montakhabi, M. & Francis, C. & Gorbatcheva, A. & Capper, T. & Mustafa, M.A. & Andoni, M. & Robu, V. & Bahloul, M. & Scott, I.J. & Mbavarir, 2023. "Emerging business models in local energy markets: A systematic review of peer-to-peer, community self-consumption, and transactive energy models," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    12. Xuguang Yu & Gang Li & Chuntian Cheng & Yongjun Sun & Ran Chen, 2019. "Research and Application of Continuous Bidirectional Trading Mechanism in Yunnan Electricity Market," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-18, December.
    13. Henri van Soest, 2018. "Peer-to-peer electricity trading: A review of the legal context," Competition and Regulation in Network Industries, , vol. 19(3-4), pages 180-199, September.
    14. Chan Liu & Raymond K. H. Chan & Maofu Wang & Zhe Yang, 2020. "Mapping the Sharing Economy in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-19, August.
    15. Zheng, Boshen & Wei, Wei & Chen, Yue & Wu, Qiuwei & Mei, Shengwei, 2022. "A peer-to-peer energy trading market embedded with residential shared energy storage units," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    16. Zade, Michel & Lumpp, Sebastian Dirk & Tzscheutschler, Peter & Wagner, Ulrich, 2022. "Satisfying user preferences in community-based local energy markets — Auction-based clearing approaches," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).
    17. Ableitner, Liliane & Tiefenbeck, Verena & Meeuw, Arne & Wörner, Anselma & Fleisch, Elgar & Wortmann, Felix, 2020. "User behavior in a real-world peer-to-peer electricity market," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    18. Kobashi, Takuro & Yoshida, Takahiro & Yamagata, Yoshiki & Naito, Katsuhiko & Pfenninger, Stefan & Say, Kelvin & Takeda, Yasuhiro & Ahl, Amanda & Yarime, Masaru & Hara, Keishiro, 2020. "On the potential of “Photovoltaics + Electric vehicles” for deep decarbonization of Kyoto’s power systems: Techno-economic-social considerations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    19. Piotr Zmyślony & Grzegorz Leszczyński & Anna Waligóra & Wiesław Alejziak, 2020. "The Sharing Economy and Sustainability of Urban Destinations in the (Over)tourism Context: The Social Capital Theory Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-26, March.
    20. Brinker, Laura & Satchwell, Andrew J., 2020. "A comparative review of municipal energy business models in Germany, California, and Great Britain: Institutional context and forms of energy decentralization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:3:p:339-:d:199959. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.