It is best to ask: Designing a stakeholder-centric approach to selecting sustainable energy development indicators

Ingunn Gunnarsdóttir*, Brynhildur Davíðsdóttir, Ernst Worrell, Sigurbjörg Sigurgeirsdottir

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Sustainable energy development is a complex and multi-dimensional concept that is integral to sustainable development. This paper offers an approach to selecting comprehensive and robust indicators to monitor progress towards this international policy objective. Numerous weaknesses in current indicator sets for sustainable energy development have been identified, e.g., lack of transparency, imbalanced representation of the pillars of sustainable development, and the absence of stakeholder engagement during development. Currently, no standardized approach to indicator selection exists. In this paper, an iterative process to indicator selection for sustainable energy development is presented. This process is rooted in stakeholder engagement to ensure a representative indicator set and reduce the potential for bias in indicator selection. A diverse and balanced group of stakeholders should be engaged through interviews, focus groups, and a Delphi survey to capture stakeholders' views of sustainable energy development within a particular setting. Based on stakeholder input, the main themes of sustainable energy development are identified, which corresponds to a thematic conceptual framework for indicator development. These results are connected to established indicators to produce a preliminary set of indicators. Subsequently, a set of indicator assessment criteria are applied to assess the quality of indicators and eliminate overly correlated indicators. In the end, a comprehensive and robust set of indicators for sustainable energy development is produced that reflects the context in question. To ensure the usefulness of the indicator set to decision-makers and stakeholders, information such as the necessary formulas and data sources should be provided.

Original languageEnglish
Article number101968
Number of pages12
JournalEnergy Research and Social Science
Volume74
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was financially supported by Rannis ? The Icelandic Centre for Research [grant number: 163464-051], the National Power Company of Iceland, the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, the Eimskip University Fund, and the Icelandic national federation of Graduate Women International. The researchers would like to thank Birgitta Steingr?msd?ttir for her assistance in developing this process.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Funding

This research was financially supported by Rannis ? The Icelandic Centre for Research [grant number: 163464-051], the National Power Company of Iceland, the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, the Eimskip University Fund, and the Icelandic national federation of Graduate Women International. The researchers would like to thank Birgitta Steingr?msd?ttir for her assistance in developing this process.

Keywords

  • Energy indicator
  • Indicator development
  • Interdisciplinary research
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Sustainability indicator
  • Sustainable energy development

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