Sustainable energy development in Iceland: stakeholders’ perspectives

• Main Author: Birgitta Steingrímsdóttir 1991-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Umhverfis- og auðlindafræði; Orkuframleiðsla; Sjálfbærni; Ísland; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/32975

A new energy paradigm, sustainable energy development (SED), focuses on renewable energy sources, energy security, environmental protection and the affordability and accessibility of energy, with the overall aim of enhancing human well-being. Stakeholders often possess information and knowledge that prove valuable when defining new policies or making decisions regarding energy development. In addition, their involvement can enhance society’s acceptance of these processes by promoting increased transparency. The Icelandic energy system is currently faced with many challenges and different trajectories of energy development. It is important to consider sustainability in the development of the country’s energy future, not least to ensure the welfare of future generations. The objective of this research is to gain insight into the perspectives of stakeholders regarding SED in Iceland. Individual interviews and focus group meetings with 27 stakeholders to the Icelandic energy system were conducted from October 2017 to February 2018. The interviews were analyzed in accordance to the methods of grounded theory. The main results of this study indicate that according to stakeholders, there are eight key elements of SED in Iceland. These are informed decision-making, energy security, renewable energy, equal access to electricity, sensible energy consumption, social cohesion, environmental responsibility and economic efficiency. These findings are largely in line with the international literature on SED, but certain elements are special to Iceland, underlining that SED is nation specific and not easily compared to other countries. This study provides valuable insights into the perspectives of stakeholders regarding SED in Iceland and its results may benefit national and regional authorities, companies, institutions and organizations conducting in policy- and decision-making regarding energy development in Iceland. Sjálfbær orkuþróun miðar að því að stuðla að velsæld til handa jarðarbúum með því að leggja áherslu á ...