Local adaptation and innovation-in-practice in energy efficiency and carbon neutrality (LAICA)
LAICA is a four year research project funded by the Academy of Finland and the consortium partners. Aalto University leads the consortium, and other partners are the National Consumer Research Centre and Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). LAICA investigates the role of citizens in the acceptance, adoption and locally relevant development of energy efficient practices and technology.
We are especially interested in assessing:
- What are the sources of and stimuli for energy innovations?
- What kinds of good energy solutions do citizens have and how are they diffused?
- How to promote the diffusion of good energy solutions?
- How large decrease in greenhouse gas emissions can be obtained?
- How to develop citizen-driven bottom-up climate policy?
Why are local adaptation and innovation-in-practice important?
Finding societal solutions to the problem of climate change requires the active engagement of citizens. Apart from their traditional roles as voters and consumers, citizens have a key role in the acceptance, adoption and locally relevant development of two key technologies needed for deep cuts in carbon emissions – end-use energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
In our project we examine the climate impacts of innovative user practices (innovations-in-practice), as well as their applicability on a local and national level. Our purpose is to stimulate and evaluate interventions that aim to make climate-relevant innovations-in-practice mobile on the municipal and national level.
LAICA is organized into four parallel subprojects and a synthesis. We seek to:
- Identify and assess the role of citizens in configuring innovative and locally adapted solutions for energy saving and on-site renewable energy production.
- Uncover sources of and stimuli for low-carbon innovations in everyday life, including diverse constraints such as crises and weather events.
- Identify citizen-driven and local solutions that have the potential to mitigate climate change on a national scale, analyze their impacts in greenhouse gas emissions, examine pathways for their transfer to other users, and stimulate the uptake of these solutions through interventions.
- As a synthesis of the objectives above, to contribute to the alignment (reframing and rescaling) of climate policy with local and everyday citizen action.
The focus of the study is on dwellings as sites of change and innovation that offer a large cost-effective potential for climate change mitigation. Empirical research is conducted in co-operation with the Finnish Carbon-Neutral Municipalities (HINKU).
The project will run from 2011 to 2014 and it is funded by Academy of Finland. LAICA project is part of the FICCA program of Academy of Finland.
Research group and contacts
Raimo Lovio (consortium leader), Professor at Aalto University School of Economics
Eva Heiskanen, Research Professor at National Consumer Research Centre
Sampsa Hyysalo, Professor of Co-design, Aalto University School Arts and Design, Department of Design, Senior Researcher, Aalto University School of Economics, Department of Management and International Business
Mikko Jalas, Research Fellow at Aalto University School of Economics
Jouni Juntunen, Project Researcher, Doctoral Candidate at Aalto University School of Economics
Jenny Rinkinen, Project Researcher, Doctoral Candidate at Aalto University School of Economics
Ari Nissinen, Senior Researcher at Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE
Maria Kopsakangas-Savolainen, Research Professor at Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE
Maija Mattinen, Researcher at Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE
Suvi Lehtoranta, Researcher at Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE (on leave)
You can contact us all by email, laica-econ@aalto.fi
Recent posts in English
Second Aalto Event on Science and Technology Studies: Energy in Society 5.-6.11.2012