New publication on a potential blackout scenario

We are excited to share that our paper “A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed? Analysis of the Willingness to Share Self-Produced Electricity During a Long-lasting Power Outage”, co-authored with Konstantin Kurz, Michele Knodt and Anna Katharina Stöckl, has been published in Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research.

Not least because of the current gas crisis, experts and societies are increasingly concerned about the stability and resilience of our energy networks. We all know that long-lasting power outages will be detrimental for our security and health. Approaches for improving the resilience of our energy networks are therefore of utmost importance. Recently, several experts suggested to use the continuously growing number of private photovoltaic (PV) systems combined with battery storage as dispersed energy sources during a power outage. However, would the people owning these PV systems share their energy with their neighbours and friends, or prefer to consume it themselves such that they can enjoy warm food, light, and a charged smartphone?

We have tackled this highly relevant social-dilemma question in our interdisciplinary paper and analyzed how people could be incentivized to share their energy instead of consuming it themselves. Curious whether intrinsic motives such as empathy or values are more influential than financial rewards and whether your neighbour is a “friend indeed”?

Find out more here.