Property owners as prosumers - support structures and barriers

The electricity grid of today is not constructed to meet new demands such as increased use of intermittent energy and increased demand. A smart grid needs to be developed that can deliver low-carbon electricity more efficiently and reliably, while enabling consumers to manage and reduce their energy use. In this process consultancy firms like SWECO and IVL are important knowledge brokers and intermediaries, providing scenarios and models. This project will examine these consultants, their role and their influence in the design of the future smart grid. The project will bring together earlier research on smart grids and research on intermediaries to study the role of consultancy firms as intermediaries. Document studies, participator observation of workshops and interview wil be conducted. The conclusions will focus on how these intermediaries envision the smart grid, what problems and solutions they prioritize and what influence they have on the actual design of the smart grid.