AUTHOR=Dütschke Elisabeth , Galvin Ray , Brunzema Iska 

TITLE=Rebound and Spillovers: Prosumers in Transition

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.636109

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.636109

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=Generating energy by renewable sources like wind, sun or water has led to the emergence of 'clean' energy that is generally available at low cost to the environ-ment and is generated from seemingly unbounded resources. Many countries have implemented schemes to support the diffusion of renewable energies. The diffu-sion of micro-generation technologies like roof-top photovoltaics is one of the suc-cess stories within the energy transition and has been significantly driven - at least in countries such as Germany - by households. As these households usually not only generate energy but also consume it they are often called 'prosumers'. How does it influence the energy behavior of households if they become prosum-ers? Are these behavioral changes in line with further goals of the energy transi-tion, e.g. reducing demand? What shapes individual behaviors of prosumers? The paper introduces a conceptual framework based on the existing literature on re-bound and spillover effects. It systematizes possible behavioral consequences as well as mechanisms behind them. This framework is then used to code and ana-lyze data from 48 in-depth interviews with prosumer households. These inter-views reveal a broad variety of behavioral responses which have their roots in economic conditions and their evaluation by the prosumers, psychological mech-anisms like central guiding principles and a clear conscience as well as sociotech-nical context and legislative frameworks.