Agent-based model to assess public acceptance of an energy sustainability project in the island of El Hierro

Abstract

[Abstract]: This paper presents an agent-based model to address citizen acceptance of energy sustainability projects, using the 100% Renewable El Hierro Project as a case study. The island of El Hierro is a pioneer in the search for sustainable energy sources, and this project seeks to understand how the individual psychosocial needs of El Hierro’s citizens influence their perception and adoption of energy policies. The HUMAT architecture, inspired by psychological and sociological theories, is adapted to model the behaviour of the citizens of El Hierro in relation to the energy sustainability project. Each agent in the model represents an individual citizen and their behaviour is determined by their psychosocial needs, which include factors such as the island’s energy independence, economic sustainability or environmental quality. Simulations are used to assess the impact of different communication strategies by project stakeholders, such as the press or local government, on the evolution of public acceptance of a project extension. This study highlights the importance of integrating multidisciplinary approaches combining psychology, sociology and engineering to address energy sustainability challenges in specific contexts such as El Hierro. It also offers new perspectives on how to design and implement energy policy communication campaigns in a way that is more acceptable to the public.