Essay of the Day: A P2P Approach To Energy Production

* Article: “A peer-to-peer approach to energy production“, co-authored by Chris Giotitsas, Alex Pazaitis & Vasilis Kostakis. P2P Lab,

We introduce the abstract, followed by an excerpt from both the introduction and conclusion of the article.

From the Abstract:

Giotitsas, Pazaitis & Kostakis:

“This paper strives to provide a theoretical study for energy production and distribution. We thus examine and discuss the evolution of energy systems technologies and their impact on the global socio-economic structure. We critically analyze the evolution of the energy production infrastructure and then review the renewable and decentralized energy production technologies, while focusing on the concept of microgrids. Ultimately, we propose an alternative model, inspired by the commons- oriented practices, currently observed in the production of information, that utilizes microgrids in order to create a peer-to-peer energy grid and then discuss the conditions necessary for the “energy commons” to emerge.”

Excerpted from the Introduction:

“The advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have arguably provided the opportunity for a “paradigm” shift in the way energy is produced and distributed. An increasing number of people have been experimenting through a variety of participatory networks allowing them to manage, share and produce in a collaborative manner. The foundations of a new social order have been set, based on meaningful cooperation and active participation [8,10,45], intensifying the intellectual discussions that explore its applicable political and economic range. The emergence of a new mode of social production, named commons-based peer production (CBPP), has signified an alternative way to create information, i.e., software, design, culture and content [10]. In the CBPP, openness and collaboration are embraced to create common value. Prominent examples of this new mode of production are the Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) projects, the free encyclopedia Wikipedia, but also open hardware projects like the Open Source Ecology or the Wikispeed car. People have been exploiting these interconnected spaces to actively shape and reproduce technological advancements according to their needs, in a paradigm where profit, power and control seem to deteriorate in significance in the shade of values like openness, sharing, cooperation and participatory production.

Growing concern about global environmental and social issues has stimulated a pursuit of a more sustainable approach of how energy is being produced, valued and consumed and more environmentally friendly, socially responsible innovations have been gaining ground. Yet the transition to a distributed, recourse-efficient approach in the energy sector seems to be stalled by the still prevalent logic of the past [65]. Following this logic, some of the most promising technologies are pushed into the wealthcreating centrally controlled pit of industrial production and large solar energy fields are created in the desert and big wind farms are set up, having a negative impact on the environment instead. A revolutionary alternative of a decentralized, smart energy grid where producers and consumers merge via small-scale energy production is necessitated, not only for the feasibility of the CBPP model, but more importantly for the formation of a more feasible, sustainable future of human societies.

This paper is using the experience gained by the CBPP as a point of departure to explore its potential within the energy sector, mainly focusing on electricity production and distribution, valorizing practical evidence from the implementation of existent microgrod projects (a form of decentralized, small-scale energy production). The focus on the electricity sector is not only based on the practices documented, but more importantly in an attempt to develop a socio-economic approach, emerging from a significant milestone in the evolution of the energy sector, energy transmission in the form of electricity. A revolution closely bound with some of the main dynamics of the current dominant mode of production and growth, which is large scale manufacturing and domestic consumption. Other energy sectors in society, such as transportation, should not be underestimated however. This paper is only narrowing down to this specific sector in order to emphasize its main approach to the theoretical discussion towards a commons-based energy production and management as opposed to the centralized energy production and transmission in the form of commodity or service, in the sense of contrasting the centralized, one-to-many structure to a P2P (peer-to-peer) network. The characteristics determining the operation of highly decentralized energy networks (like the transportation system), which transcend the operational and productive range of society exceed the limitations of the current study.

Hence, our aim is to develop a critical look on the evolution of the energy system until today and then attempt to tentatively propose a theoretical application of the mode of production currently utilized in the information commons towards the creation of energy commons. Specifically, the structure of the paper is as follows: First the methodological approach is explained. Then a historical account is provided of how energy has evolved and how the industry took shape till the current ICT-driven techno-economic paradigm. Further, we provide the context in which our theoretical proposal takes place, so renewable and distributed energy are explained. Next, the P2P networks and the CBPP are introduced with a description of the proposed model to follow. Then, we discuss the possibilities of a different energy paradigm. Last, the concluding remarks of the paper are presented.” (http://p2plab.gr/en/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/1-s2.0-S0160791X15000251-main.pdf)

In Conclusion:

“The point this paper is trying to convey is that in order for energy to evolve from being a commodity into a commons we cannot simply rest until the technological level for energy production reaches a threshold where it is cheap enough for this to be possible. The conditions arguably need to be created and this study attempts to contribute to such a discussion. Research towards technology that provides everyone free access to the means for cheap, clean energy should be promoted instead of market-based mechanisms that treat energy as a means for profitmaking.

Distributed, renewable energy can have negative effects both on a social and an environmental level, such as dispossession of rural communities or harming wildlife, when capital accumulation is the ultimate goal. Further, it is apparent that technology cannot be expected to solve all any dimensions of the energy problem on its own. So for a realistic application of this model in a grand scale, there needs to be a shift in the entire socio-economic context. Meaning a shift towards a new and sustainable mode of production and consumption. CBPP, in conjunction with the emerging desktop manufacturing technologies, arguably presents a compelling alternative that could enable communities to strive for change. Moreover, societies need to shed their inherent indifference for the consequences of the mass consumerism that was endorsed by the ever expanding, fossil fuel powered system and embrace an environmentally conscious lifestyle, in tune with the capacities of the planet.”

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