Dimensions of the “people problem” in energy research and “the” factual basis of dispersed energy futures

Those of us advocating adaptive behavior in times of scarcity and change of resources need to be more aware of the roles we are playing and of the ideas that influence our actions. Some important dimensions of the “people problem” often appear in binary opposition: institutional constraints vs individual freedom, credible vs non-credible, tangible vs abstract, restricted vs global time perspective, specialist vs generalist, voluntary vs involuntary, and progress vs decline or status quo. Several of these dimensions were central to our understanding of two transitional mechanisms in California: the Residential Building Code and the exploration of the potential of dispersed electric generators. The “people problems” of energy reach beyond the technical-science problems, and beyond educating the little people in the value of efficiency, conservation, and the impending exhaustion of fossil fuels. Indeed, they are central to any compilation of the factual basis of dispersed energy futures. Experts and decision-makers need to look within themselves for an improved understanding of what constitutes “the” energy problem and, indeed, what constitutes “the” factual basis for energy planning.