The availability of reliable power without interruption is critical for a fast and sustained economic growth. No country can develop and sustain itself beyond subsistence levels unless it has access to modern energy (electrical) services at a minimum. According to studies, despite the country's vast renewable energy potential, access to alternate unconventional types of energy is extremely limited. More than half of the world lack access to electricity and continue to rely primarily on traditional energy sources. This may be significantly advanced by incorporating prosumers in present smart-grid infrastructure to generate power with renewable distributed generation technologies to meet expanding demand while minimising environmental risk. The authors assessed the current state of awareness of the potential positive implications of the energy transition for various communities and socioeconomic groups on the frontlines of the change using a fast growing corpus of academic and policy research.
Top1. Introduction
New emerging perspectives are required to face the challenges that global warming, limited reservoirs, and urbanisation will provide in the next decades. The energy system is undergoing significant transformation. Traditional outdated models will be disintegrated. Electricity demand will grow at an unprecedented rate, particularly in emerging countries where the role of metropolitan and smart-cities will be vital to their success. Furthermore, countries and their energy systems are under pressure to cut greenhouse gas emissions in order to meet the Paris Climate Agreement (Bodansky, 2016). The energy transition will be important in achieving this, with an increasing number of scattered renewable energy sources. Indeed, a new unconventional, flexible distributed generation model based on renewable distributed generation is already displacing energy systems that have relied for decades on a traditional, conventional energy-based generating and distribution paradigm (Akorede et al., 2010). The new model of unconventional renewable distributed generation is gaining traction in scientific discussions, thanks in large part to an increase in power distribution system digitisation. The modern smart-grid allows for more data accessibility and unprecedented network stability control, particularly in the face of periodic disruption and customer interaction (Ahmad et al., 2022). The electrical generation and distribution system cannot function properly without the active participation of customers as an important stakeholder, who are also emerging into “prosumers” (both producers and consumers) (Gautier et al., 2018). Despite this progress, there are challenges to managing intermittent power supply, sociopolitical acceptance of prosumers, and the development of the smart-grid integrated renewable distributed generation system, all of which can be addressed through an appropriate regulatory framework that takes this transition into account.
One critical component of this change is that not everyone will benefit equally unless clear steps to encourage an equitable transition are implemented. International climate treaties have long recognised the significance of incorporating equitable distribution of energy access facilities into energy and climate policy (Markard, 2018).
While the concept's technological feasibility and cost-effectiveness are debatable. However, there are other gaps in energy transition-related distribution inequalities that we can see, such as demand side management, activities needed to assist consumers and communities in transitioning, engagement of prosumers as decision makers, and development of an effective energy model. As a result, there is enormous opportunity to raise collective awareness of the negative consequences of the energy transition, as well as opportunities for scholars to perform basic scientific study to influence future policymakers.
The interrelated theories on energy transition in smart-grid integrated renewable distributed generation systems, as well as how the energy transition will effect prosumers, were investigated in this study. Our goal is to raise a series of topics that, when expanded, continuous, and properly assessed, can provide critical insights into why, how, and where to establish energy programmes, as well as how to integrate these programmes into wider energy and climate policy efforts. We feel that a lack of infrastructure makes both the transition to decentralised power generation and the possibilities for prosumer engagement extremely challenging. While investing in research & development will result in the establishment of policies to solve these concerns, theories on such policy efforts and the extent to which policymakers ease challenges are still missing.