What roles for energy cooperatives in the diffusion of distributed generation technologies?

Whereas a centralized model of electricity infrastructure is still dominant today, many scholars advocate the diffusion of distributed generation technologies, implying geographically dispersed and small-scale generation units located close to consumers. However, there exist various barriers of different natures to a large-scale penetration of these technologies. In this article, we focus on the behavioral and psychological ones, emphasizing the roles that citizens have to play in this issue. More specifically, we explore a specific way of involving citizens in such diffusion, namely energy cooperatives. After presenting the driving forces of the emergence of cooperative firms in the energy sector, we examine the assets of the cooperative ownership structure from the perspectives of behavioral economics and social psychology. Our analysis enables us to build a model of how cooperatives may enhance consumer engagement in the diffusion of distributed generation technologies. This provides a basic theoretical framework for future empirical research.