Volume 19: Sustainable Energy Solutions for a Post-COVID Recovery towards a Better Future: Part II

The Role of Contextual Characteristics in the Adoption of Energy Efficiency Measures in Electric Motors Systems: An Exploratory Analysis Davide Accordini, Enrico Cagno, Andrea Galli, Andrea Trianni

Abstract

The presence of barriers, mainly related to the information and economic spheres, limits the diffusion of industrial energy efficiency. To overcome this situation, industrial decision-makers should perform comprehensive assessments of energy efficiency measures, including the analysis of the contextual dimension in which their adoption should be embedded. Indeed, contextual characteristics have been shown to strongly influence the descriptive characteristics of energy efficiency measures and their multiple impacts coming from their adoption, e.g., by increasing their criticality based on distance from the firms’ core business or on firm size. Given the lack of in-depth analysis in the literature, this empirical study represents an initial exploratory analysis of the influence of the context on the adoption of energy efficiency measures. The results clearly point to the need for future research on the topic and the development of a framework for industrial decision-makers and policy-makers to systematically analyse the influence of contextual characteristics on the descriptive characteristics of energy efficiency measures and their multiple impacts on operations, productivity and overall firm’s sustainability.

Keywords electric motors, energy efficiency measures, adoption process, decision making, characterization impacts, context