{"id":1351,"date":"2016-04-15T08:02:50","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T08:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/?p=1351"},"modified":"2016-04-18T09:58:03","modified_gmt":"2016-04-18T09:58:03","slug":"intermediary-actors-in-low-energy-transitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/sussexenergygroup\/2016\/04\/15\/intermediary-actors-in-low-energy-transitions\/","title":{"rendered":"Intermediary actors in low energy transitions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Intermediary actors can be crucial for bringing about\u00a0low energy transitions. This blog explores what they are and provides some key insights about intermediaries in low energy transitions.<\/em><\/p>\n

It has long been recognised that changing the way we produce and use energy is of crucial importance to tackle the challenges related to depleting fuel resources and their environmental impacts. For things to change, actors facilitating these processes and connecting people are important.<\/p>\n

The capital city of Helsinki, Finland, has set up an innovation unit, Forum Virium<\/a>, which coordinates the construction of a smart city district within the city combining the use of several innovations, including solutions for energy storage and management, car-free blocks and services, including a smart application which allows residents to control appliances, lighting and heating remotely. In this development, according to ongoing work by Eva Heiskanen<\/a> and Kaisa Matschoss,<\/a> Forum Virium has acted as an intermediary identifying new innovations and organising networking events for information sharing, among other things.<\/p>\n

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One Brighton. Credit: Dr Mari Martiskainen<\/p><\/div>\n

In the UK, an independent organisation, called Bioregional<\/a>, has been a crucial intermediary in low- carbon building projects. In Brighton, Bioregional acted as a developer for One Brighton<\/a>, a multi-residential energy-efficient, insulated and triple glazed building heated by woodfuel pellets with a community space and social housing developed to the principles of One Planet Living<\/a>. \u00a0It builds on the experience of BedZED<\/a>, a pioneering low energy housing development built in early 2000s in London. With Mari Martiskainen<\/a> we have explored how Bioregional acted as an intermediary to One Brighton in several ways. It created a tangible vision for the building project by adapting previous learning from projects like BedZED, carried out project management activities and connected the local council, the builder and the local community together.<\/p>\n

These kinds of Innovation intermediaries are organisations \u2013 or sometimes individuals \u2013 which can act as go-betweens for people, funds, knowledge and ideas that in combination may result in innovation<\/a>. Intermediaries may:<\/p>\n