Paper long abstract:

Environmental factors related to global warming, new and ambitious energy policies, developments in renewable energy technologies and the makings of ICTs are driving a radical change in the way energy is produced, transmitted and used. We are entering the paradigm of Smart Energy Grids that is characterized by a fundamental shift from a centralized and one-way energy flow to a distributed and bidirectional one. By focusing on the EU/FP7 funded project CIVIS, we discuss how the initial project activities revealed smart metering technology to act as a boundary object (BO) amid intricate and heterogeneous stakeholders' interests - researchers' ones included. BOs are artifacts that allow for negotiation and alignment among different socio-technical worlds, because they are solid and plastic enouogh to provide interpretive constraints and flexibility at the same time. The vision and objectives of CIVIS project are to design a fairer, more sustainable and energy-friendly city by linking energy, ICT and societal networks to achieve significant impacts in terms of CO2 emissions reduction and new forms of social innovations which are able to tackle pressing social demands. The presentation will (i) discuss the potentialities and critical aspects of smart metering technology; and (ii) sketch a stakeholders' map where smart meters act as boundary objects along the way of CIVIS vision implementation.