Kauls, Lukas (2025) Community Dynamics in Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading: How Organisational Structures Influence Trading Preferences. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Peer-to-peer (P2P) energy communities are a promising tool for decentralising energy systems and promoting local energy exchange. While technical and economic aspects of P2P trading have been widely studied, less is known about the psychological and social processes that shape participation and decision-making in such systems. Drawing on the social identity approach, this thesis investigates how the governance structure of a P2P energy community – either bottom-up (community-led) or top-down (externally-led) – influences prosumers’ willingness to participate and their trading behaviour. In an experimental online study with N = 300 German homeowners, participants were randomly assigned to one of the two governance conditions and completed a trading task involving surplus electricity. Situational factors such as battery charge, community energy demand, and the community with which the trading takes place were varied within participants. Results show that bottom-up governance increases perceived identity leadership as well as competence- and integrity-based trust, which in turn enhance acceptability and willingness to participate. However, governance structure did not influence actual trading behaviour. Instead, trading decisions were shaped by economic (battery charge) as well as social factors (community energy demand and trading community), reflecting both self-interested and community-oriented motivations. These findings extend research on community energy initiatives to P2P contexts and highlight the role of social identity and group processes in promoting participation. This study provides important insights for policymakers and practitioners in developing P2P energy systems.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Supervisor name: | Jans, L. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Environmental Psychology (EP) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Jul 2025 14:08 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Jul 2025 14:08 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5491 |
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