Franz Ecker
Dr. rer. nat. Franz Ecker SmartGridsBW Projekt-Management GmbH Christophstraße 6DE-70178 StuttgartPhone: +49 (0)711 400 600 60 |
Research project
Smart use of renewable energy systems: Psychological barriers and how they may be overcome
The German Government has set a national move towards decentralized energy production via renewable sources. It is assumed that German homeowners will play an essential part in fulfilling this ambitious goal. Previous studies on photovoltaic systems (PV) showed that the aspiration of autarky is a strong predictor of homeowners’ attitude towards PV, which in turn affects their purchase intentions.
We expect that consumers’ pursuit of energy-autarky and self-sufficiency influence their investment decisions. Findings on the impact of energy-autarky and self-sufficiency may provide valuable implications for the design of energy management and storage technologies. Especially, systems allowing individuals to produce and manage their own energy might match with homeowners’ pursuit of autarky and self-sufficiency. Research will be focused on how these decentralized energy systems are being perceived in terms of advantages and disadvantages.
The project is funded through the Federal State Postgraduate Scholarships Act (Landesgraduiertenförderungsgesetz – LGFG) within the cooperative graduate school “Decentralized sustainable energy systems” (abbr. DENE).
Curriculum Vitae
Born in Freiburg, Germany, 1985
Practical and scientific experience
08/2018 - Today | SmartGridsBW Projekt-Management GmbH Stuttgart Senior reseatcher and deputy project manager |
2014 - 2018 | University of Freiburg, Department of Psychology PhD Student, DENE Promotionskolleg |
2013 | Global TraPs Project (Transdisciplinary Processes for Sustainable Phosphorus Management), www.globaltraps.ch Member of the Knowledge Integration Unit Support Team |
2012 - 2014 | University of Oldenburg, Chair of Ecological Economics Research Assistant |
2010 - 2011 | 8th European Colloqium of Constance: Green Economy in Europe - Illusion or Reality? Initiator and organizer of the conference |
2010 | German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU), Berlin Member of the scientific staff |
Studies
2011 - 2014 | University of Oldenburg Sustainability Economics & Management, M.A. |
2007 - 2011 | University of Constance Political and Administrative Sciences, B.A. |
Publications
- Ecker, F., Spada, H. & Hahnel. U.J.J. (2018). Independence without
control: Autarky outperforms autonomy benefits in the adoption of
private energy storage systems. Energy Policy, 214-228.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.07.028 - Ecker, F., Hahnel, U.J.J. & Spada, H. (2017). Promoting decentralized
sustainable energy systems in different supply scenarios: the role of
autarky aspiration. Frontiers in Energy Research, 5:14.
https://doi.org//10.3389/fenrg.2017.00014 - Ecker, F. (2018). Akzeptanz dezentraler nachhaltiger Energiesysteme:
Psychologische Untersuchungen des individuellen Autarkiestrebens.
Dissertation. Institut für Psychologie.
https://doi.org//10.6094/UNIFR/15067 - Siebenhüner, B., Rodela, R., & Ecker, F. (2016). Social learning research in ecological economics: A survey. Environmental Sciences & Policy, 55, 1, 116-126. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2015.09.010
- Ecker, F., Hahnel, U.J.J., & Spada, H. (2015). Willingness to pay for renewable energy: the role of perceived autarky. Presentation at the 11th Biennial Conference on Environmental Psychology. 24.-26. August 2015, Groningen, Netherlands.
- Ecker, M. & Ecker, F. (2014). Genügsam leben: Überlegungen zur Suffizienz im rechtlichen Kontext. In Ewer, W.; Ramsauer, U.; Reese, M.; Rubel, R. (Hrsg.). Methodik – Ordnung – Umwelt. Festschrift für Hans-Joachim Koch aus Anlass seines siebzigsten Geburtstages. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin. S. 637 – 647.
- Hertin, J.; Hey, C.; Ecker, F. (2010): The Future of European Electricity Supply: Moving from Energy-Mix Projections to Renewable-Based Scenarios. In Renewable Energy Law and Policy Review 2/2010, pp. 131-139.