Social aspects of wider microgrids deployment

In the paper, the social issues which can be influenced by Microgrids are identified and discussed in terms of present socio-economic environment and the general resolutions of the Lisbon Strategy. The analyses are part of the research undertaken in the framework of the MOREMICROGRIDS project and have the aim to contribute to the overall assessment of Microgrids benefits. The experiences from the pilot Microgrid locations have been collected and evaluated by making use of an appropriately developed questionnaire. Further on, in order to investigate the possibilities to increase the social benefits and overall awareness of the Microgrids concept, the problem and objective tree analysis has been implemented. It has shown that the crucial target areas for action are the policies on distributed and renewable energy sources, the attitudes and public acceptance of the new energy concepts, as well as the relations among various stakeholders. (8 pages)