D.4.1 Criteria and framework for participant recruitment
Creators: name: Ghanem, Dana Abi
name: Crosbie, Tracey
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020

description: Executive Summary The REACT project will demonstrate the potential of Renewable Energy Systems (RES) on geographical islands to bring economic benefits, decarbonise islands’ energy systems, reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and improve environmental air quality. This is to be achieved by: Integrating existing and emerging technologies to create the REACT cloud-based solution enabling a smart grid (SG) with the potential to support the energy autonomy of geographical islands; Piloting the REACT solution on three islands in three market contexts in three different climates to demonstrate the efficacy of the REACT solution; Developing plans for the large-scale replication of the implementations of the REACT solution on five follower islands. The three pilot islands are, La Graciosa (Spain), San Pietro (Italy) and Aran Islands (Ireland). The follower islands are Gotland (Sweden), Lesbos (Greece), Isle of Wight (UK), Majorca (Spain) and Reunion (France). Focus areas are defined on the pilot islands for the deployment of the REACT solution during the lifetime of the project. These are: Caleta del Sebo in La Graciosa (Spain); Carloforte in San Pietro (Italy); Kilronan, Inis Mór one of the Aran Islands (Ireland). The success of the REACT cloud-based solution depends on island communities becoming active parts of the energy system changing their consumption patterns through Demand Response (DR) and SG technologies. Therefore recruiting participants is crucial for carrying out the projects pilots. This report presents: increase the sustainability of their homes, contribute positively to the electricity grid, make financial savings on their energy costs, change their energy use behaviours. Our survey also found that many people living on the REACT pilot islands; Have little or no understanding of the SG and the technologies required to interact with it; Are averse to adopting SG technologies, such as smart meters and home energy displays. The REACT project community engagement framework designed to drive participant recruitment; The findings of a survey conducted to assess the communities’ perception of SGs and DR at each of the REACT projects pilot islands; A discussion of how the survey findings informed the criteria for the recruitment of participants in the project demonstrations to be conducted on the pilot islands. Our survey found that many people living on the REACT pilot islands are highly motivated to; Initially we intended to recruit a diverse household sample at each of the REACT island pilot sites in terms of demographic and socio-economic backgrounds. In the light of the findings of the survey, the recruitment of participants in the demonstrations has focused on ‘early adopters’ of the technologies required to engage with the REACT solution. These include private households and the owners and managers of public buildings (e.g. schools, municipal offices, libraries, etc.). These “lighthouse” participants in the REACT demonstrations at the pilot sites will serve as a beacon for the rest of the populations on the pilot islands and the follower islands.