PEOPLEJessica Balest

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Jessica Balest

Senior Researcher
Institute for Renewable Energy

T +39 0471 055 686

jessica.balest@eurac.edu

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5319-3075

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About

Principali interessi di ricerca

Pratiche sociali ed energetiche
Partecipazione delle comunità locali
Democrazia energetica

Jessica Balest è una ricercatrice senior presso l'Istituto per le Energie Rinnovabili di EURAC. Partecipa alle attività del Gruppo di ricerca chiamato Sistemi Energetici Regionali e Urbani. Dopo aver conseguito una laurea triennale in Sociologica Politica e una laurea specialistica in Sociologia dell'Ambiente, Jessica ha ottenuto un dottorato in Territorio, Ambiente, Risorse e Salute presso l'Università degli Studi di Padova (IT). Sta lavorando in vari progetti europei come H2020 EnerMaps e Interreg ITA-AU Shelter ed è Ricercatrice Principale nel progetto ROLES finanziato dal programma Solstice (https://roles.w.uib.no/project/). Le sue principali tematiche sono riferite alle pratiche sociale ed energetiche nella vita quotidiana delle persone, come il risparmio energetico. Jessica sta anche lavorando per il coinvolgimento e la partecipazione delle comunità locali marginalizzate e delle persone vulnerabili in questioni legate all'energia, enfatizzando processi di democrazia energetica.

Scientific Publications

Inbook2026

From innovation to inaction: Why digital energy fails to empower citizens

Balest J, Gantioler S, Della Valle N, Sareen S

Jessica Balest

Digitalization pervasively impacts citizens' lives in contemporary society. Energy infrastructure digitalization can dramatically enhance the transition toward low-carbon energy systems by improving energy efficiency and transforming the supply-demand interface. This digital and low-carbon—or twin—transition presents complex challenges in relation to empowering individuals and societal groups fairly and inclusively, with implications for daily energy uses and societal practices. Critical institutionalism, notably the concept of bricolage, offers a conceptual lens to understand how diverse actors—especially ordinary (energy) citizens—navigate the complexity of twin transitions. We focus on the second rollout of smart electricity meters in Trento, an Italian city in the 2020s, following the first one in the early 2000s, as a European frontrunner with ample scope for policy learning and adaptation. We draw on 23 semi-structured interviews with citizens as prospective primary beneficiaries of smart meters to articulate how digitalization is routinized into evolving societal practices. We show how this incorporation hardly shifts overarching societal dynamics, despite changing energy infrastructure ontologies. These findings problematize the potential of digitalization for empowerment that has long been promoted in policy discourse on twin transitions in Europe.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-443-32964-7.00010-5

Report2025

Climate Justice: What it is and how it relates to other justice concepts and components (ASCEND project)

Balest J, Voltolini F, Tomaselli A, Bernhard von Schlechtleitner AL, Budabin AC, De Bortoli I, Pedoth L, Gruber M,

Alexandra Tomaselli, Jessica Balest, Lydia Pedoth, Isidoro De Bortoli, Mirjam Gruber, Alexandra Budabin, Anna Lea Bernhard von Schlechtleitner, Adriana Recalde Martínez, Federico Voltolini

Progetto: Giustizia climatica e intersezionalità: dall’adattamento alla trasformazione

Climate justice examines the responsibilities and impacts of climate change through a justice framework, incorporating distributive, procedural, recognitional, and corrective justice. It intersects with concepts like social inequality, vulnerability, and resilience. This report thus first traces the evolution of inequality studies in relation to climate justice, highlighting how the uneven and asymmetric access to and distribution of resources reflect the core principles of climate (in)justice. It also offers a systematic review of the most prominent definitions of climate justice in scientific literature, followed by a critical analysis of its implications for climate change research. In particular, it includes a diagnosis of concepts and debates closely related to climate justice that have often been treated separately, fostering cross-fertilization and cross-disciplinary dialogues that bridge different perspectives. Finally, it highlights the need for climate research and policy to consider the diverse nature of societies and how different groups and communities access services and processes. It ultimately calls for significant societal changes that address current power structures.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.57749/fjqf-gm87

Journal article2025

Spaces, forms, and levels engagement: Using the Powercube to explore social inclusion in digital energy and mobility systems

Brisbois MC, Torres Contreras GA, Loe MR, Balest J, Smith A, Sareen S, Haarstad H, Pellegrini C,

Chiara Pellegrini, Jessica Balest, Federico Voltolini, Silvia Tomasi

Progetto: EU JPI SOLSTICE ROLES - Organizzazione di un rendere conto per una società a basse emissioni

Energy and mobility transitions are often coupled with digital innovations to meet decarbonisation goals. Enthusiasm for digitalisation arises from the belief that such technologies can democratize energy and mobility supply and use, empower homeowners and communities, maximise efficiencies, and generally improve quality of life. However, realising these benefits depends upon effective inclusion, strong governance, and clear conceptions of shared responsibilities and accountability. These features can be limited in practice. This study examines social inclusion in digital energy and mobility systems through a power lens, and based on extensive, original, mixed-methods data across three comparative case studies: smart and local energy systems in Brighton (UK); smart meter-enabled energy communities in Trento (Italy); and digitalisation of urban mobility systems in Bergen (Norway). Through Gaventa's “Powercube” approach, a combined analytical and co-productive tool, the study interrogates claims of equity, justice, and improved social outcomes. It examines the state of, and potential for, inclusion in digitalised energy systems. Methodologically, the paper presents insights into the Powercube method – currently underexplored in energy and mobility transition scholarship – by analysing its strengths and weaknesses in studying these contexts. Empirically, the paper discusses the potential of digitalisation to increase energy and mobility system inclusion, and what this means for energy and social outcomes. Findings highlight that, pursued in their current forms, digitalisation of energy and mobility systems is exacerbating existing inequalities, entrenching exclusive decision practices, and creating new closed off spaces as public energy data is moved into private ownership.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2025.105323

Journal article2024

An Energy Self-Sufficient Alpine Hut: The Refurbishment of an Ex-Tobacco Farm Using Building Integrated Photovoltaics

Bottino-Leone D, Exner DE, Adami J, Troi A, Balest J

Alexandra Troi, Dagmar Exner, Jessica Balest, Jennifer Adami

Progetto: EU ITA-AUT SHELTER: Smart Rural Heritage along Tourism Routes, PNRR iNEST - Ecosistema interconnesso dell'innovazione del Nord Est

The abandonment and deterioration of historic rural buildings in Europe raise significant issues, including hydrogeological risks, the loss of productive land, and cultural heritage decline. Despite being underestimated, these structures hold significant potential for cultural and productive activities. Renovating these structures is crucial for local communities committed to preserving their heritage, and it is a more sustainable approach than constructing new buildings. This study explores activities undertaken in the Interreg IT/AT project “SHELTER” in Valbrenta (IT): through a participatory approach involving communities, stakeholders, designers, and researchers, an energy concept is developed for refurbishing an abandoned tobacco farm, chosen by the community, to be an alpine hut. Due to the inability to connect to the city electricity grid, the new energy concept focuses on minimizing consumption through envelope refurbishment, efficient heating, and domestic hot water systems. Additionally, the integration of renewable energy sources, particularly Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), is emphasized to preserve the building’s original appearance. This study demonstrates the feasibility of meeting seasonal energy needs entirely through renewables and explores the potential integration of biomass for meeting annual energy requirements

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.3390/buildings14020518

Report2024

An Integrated Framework for Stakeholder and Citizen Engagement in Solar Neighborhoods: This is a report from SHC Task 63: Solar neighborhood planning and work performed in Subtask B: Economic Strategies and Stakeholder Engagement

Caballero N, Balest J, Giacovelli G

Jessica Balest, Grazia Giacovelli

The present report proposes an integrated framework for stakeholder engagement in solar neighborhoods, informed by practical insights from behavioral science (a practice known as behavioral design). The report bookends a series of three workshops on these topics with Task 63 experts, as well as follow-up discussions in general task meetings where the topics of stakeholder analysis and behavioral design were discussed, and case studies collected. All these activities informed the design of our proposed framework. We first report the state-of-the-art on stakeholder engagement methods in urban planning practice in Section 3. In Section 4 we present insights from behavioral science and detail how their application can enrich participatory processes, contextualizing these insights to the case of solar neighborhood planning. This discussion culminates in the development of a stakeholder ENGAGEment-behavioral Design framework (ENGAGED), which we detail in Section 5. The framework is intended to inform engagement processes in solar neighborhood planning and highlight how several phases in the development of a solar project can be informed by engagement activities and citizen participation. In Section 6 we report a series of solar neighborhood stakeholder engagement case studies collected from Task experts. We discuss the reported activities through the lens of our ENGAGED framework, highlighting strengths and limitations. We then present in Section 7 some overall conclusions. Our report highlights that stakeholder engagement activities in solar neighborhoods at present can take many different forms. In some cases, these activities are central to the planning process, while in others their role is primarily to inform citizens and other stakeholders. By adopting a multi-stage approach, such as in our ENGAGED framework, engagement activities can be enriched throughout the life cycle of a solar project, leading to co-created outcomes that are informed by a participatory process. Finally, while behaviors of end-users are often considered, there is still ample opportunity to integrate behaviorchange considerations in a wider engagement process. Insights from behavioral science could be leveraged not only to promote virtuous energy behaviors that support the integration of solar technologies (as is the case in a few of the reported case studies), but also to increase participation in outreach events targeting citizens. Ultimately, our goal with this report is to bring further awareness to the importance of engaging with different stakeholder groups in the context of solar neighborhood planning, and provide practical guidance in this direction.

DOI

DOI: 10.18777/ieashc-task63-2024-0001

Journal article2024

Review of Existing Tools for the Assessment of European Building Stock Energy Demand for Space Heating and Cooling

Bottino-Leone D, Balest J, Cittati VM, Pezzutto S, Fraboni R, Beltrami F

Simon Pezzutto, Jessica Balest, Filippo Beltrami, Riccardo Fraboni

Progetto: EU LIFE-CET CoolLIFE - Strumenti open source per far fronte all'aumento della domanda di raffreddamento degli spazi e degli edifici a livello EU

There is currently a growing interest in lowering energy demand and, consequently, greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors. Several attempts by national governments to reduce energy demand are centered on the residential sector, since it accounts for a significant amount of the final energy demand. In order to estimate its energy demand and to evaluate the techno-economic effects of adopting energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, there are comprehensive models suited for residential applications, since energy demand characteristics of the residential sector are complicated and interrelated. Based on these models, several tools are nowadays available to support designers and policymakers. These tools are designed to be user-friendly and to include the possibility to develop simulated scenarios for energy demand, production of CO₂ emissions, and economic costs. The present study aims to offer an up-to-date extended overview of the most functional and widespread tools for the assessment of the current energy demand of the European building stock for space heating and cooling demand, both regarding open source and commercial licenses. Results highlighted the tools most commonly used by examining real applications, identifying their strengths and weaknesses and pinpointing the primary deficiencies for the benefit of future developers.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.3390/su16062462

Journal article2023

Monitored data and social perceptions analysis of battery electric and hydrogen fuelled buses in urban and suburban areas

Estrada Poggio A, Balest J, Zubaryeva A, Sparber W

Rubén Estrada Poggio, Jessica Balest, Alyona Zubaryeva, Wolfram Sparber

Progetto: EU Zero Emission LIFE IP - Servizi a emissioni zero per un'economia alpina decarbonizzata

Electrification of the transportation sector is one of the main drivers in the decarbonization of energy and mobility systems and it is a way to ensure security of energy supply. Public bus fleets can assist in achieving fast reduction of CO₂ emissions. This article provides an analysis of a unique real-world dataset to support decision-makers in the decarbonization of public fleets and interlink it with the social acceptance of drivers. Data was collected from 21 fuel cell and electric buses. The tank-to-wheel efficiency results of fuel cell electric buses (FCEB) are much lower than that of battery electric buses (BEB), and there is a higher variation in consumption for BEBs compared to FCEBs. Both technologies permit a strong reduction in CO₂ emissions, compared to conventional buses. There is a high level of acceptance of drivers which are likely to support the transition towards zero-emission buses introduced by the management.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2023.108411

Journal article2023

Social implications of energy infrastructure digitalisation and decarbonisation

Sareen S, Smith A, Gantioler S, Balest J, Brisbois MC, Tomasi S, Sovacool B, Torres Contreras GA.,

Jessica Balest, Silvia Tomasi

Progetto: EU JPI SOLSTICE ROLES - Organizzazione di un rendere conto per una società a basse emissioni

Digitalisation provides opportunities to decarbonise energy and, simultaneously, address social exclusion and inequality—but it is unclear whether and how these opportunities are realised. Three case studies investigate whether ongoing energy infrastructure digitalisation processes are accommodating commoning or enclosure, using a continuum of commoning versus enclosure practices to examine this question. Multi-sited fieldwork throughout the period 2021–22 is used to compare sectoral transitions in three European mid-sized cities: mobility in Bergen (NO), solar generation in Brighton & Hove (UK) and smart electric meters in Trento (IT). Semi-structured and narrative expert interviews (N = 66), a mix of structured (N = 134) and semi-structured (N = 49) citizen interviews, citizen focus groups (N = 17), seminars (N = 2), participatory workshops (N = 4), and extended participant observation reveal multiple and contradictory processes of commoning and enclosure. Decarbonisation and digitalisation are proceeding unevenly, with tendencies of enclosure and missed opportunities to achieve commoning of energy infrastructure for public benefit. Opportunities are identified to enable commoning pathways in ongoing twin transitions.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.5334/bc.292

Journal article2023

Transformative disruptiveness or transition? Revealing digitalization and deep decarbonization pathways in the Italian smart electricity meter roll-out

Gantioler S, Balest J, Tomasi S, Voltolini F, Della Valle N

Jessica Balest, Federico Voltolini, Silvia Tomasi

Progetto: EU H2020 JUSTNature - Attivazione di soluzioni basate sulla natura per una transizione giusta e a basso contenuto di carbonio

Energy infrastructure digitalization is proposed as key for a just deep decarbonization. However, an integrative literature review reveals the lack of a more profound exploration on normative considerations tied to world perspectives and values, as levers of a lasting transformation in the context of socio-technical transitions. Thus, the paper employs qualitative research methods to investigate how energy infrastructure digitalization contributes to transformative disruption, along which deliberated deep decarbonization pathways, using Italy's smart electricity meter roll-out as a case study. While the roll-out represents a substantial effort in introducing digital devices into the residential sector, concerns persist about its effectiveness, also due to potential societal disruptions. Through in-depth interviews with experts (N = 17) and citizens (N = 23) and content-oriented analysis, the research unveils evolving pathways between ever more disengaged two grand narratives and value systems: energy as a commodity and energy as a common good. The first opts for technological progress, changing consumer behavior, to address energy poverty and social justice, building on market-based instruments and new business models. Conversely, the second harbors skepticism towards technological fixes, emphasizes energy sufficiency and questions energy opulence, linked to environmental justice considerations, and calling for corrective principles by regulatory means. Finally, the paper presents a conceptual framework to re-shape deep deliberative transformation, highlighting the importance of re-connecting to defined values, re-generating actionable knowledge, restructuring institutions in societal experimentation, and recognizing underlying processes such as justice claims. It argues for further research into discourse coalitions capitalizing on defined narratives, to better understand their impact on policy-making processes.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2023.103309

Journal article2022

Engaging Stakeholders for Designing a FAIR Energy Data Management Tool: The Horizon 2020 EnerMaps Project

Balest J, Pezzutto S, Giacovelli G, Wilczynski E

Simon Pezzutto, Eric Wilczynski, Jessica Balest, Grazia Giacovelli

Progetto: EU H2020 EnerMaps - Strumenti open source per condividere, confrontare e riutilizzare i dati sull'energia a basse emissioni di carbonio

Energy transition deals with and starts from data and information, which are relevant for decision making and strategy implementation. Several stakeholders who deal with planning, energy management, and policy-making processes need findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) data to solve professional issues. The Horizon 2020 (H2020) EnerMaps project contributes to providing FAIR data management. It aims to improve data availability, data quality, and data management for industry (especially renewable technology industry), energy planners, energy utilities, energy managers, energy consultants, public administration officers operating in the energy sector, policy decision makers, and social innovation experts. We apply a flow of methods to engage stakeholders for designing and operating a data management tool in the energy field—the EnerMaps Data Management Tool (EDMT). The methodologies applied include: stakeholder analysis, social network investigation, and semi-structured interviews to assemble user stories and needs. Far from being obvious, this type of analysis is capable of addressing the needs and challenges in the data sector, proposing an innovative tool. In this case, the main issues emerging are data quality (inclusive data normalization), the acquisition of datasets, and the deep understanding of data tools operation. In contrast, concerning the user needs inquiry, a number of topics emerge, such as the need to access datasets related to energy consumption and production, and several software-related needs, such as the possibility of normalizing and harmonizing the data.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.3390/su141811392

Journal article2022

Social practices and energy use at home during the first Italian lockdown due to Covid-19

Balest J, Stawinoga A

Agnieszka Stawinoga, Jessica Balest

During the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, cities became large residential consumers of energy. In general, energy demand has decreased, but the users who used the most energy during the pandemic were the people in their homes creating a change compared to the past. How have household habits changed affecting energy uses during the lockdown? Has energy demand changed equally in all homes? What factors help explain the change in daily household habits and the change in energy uses? Via distribution of a questionnaire completed by 3519 people living in Italy during the first lockdown #StayAtHome, the change in daily habits and consequent energy uses were investigated. It collected data on socio-demographic and household characteristics and the material context in which people live. The results were interpreted according to the social practice approach that has been used in the past to analyse energy habits and uses of households, for example, for cooking. The results can support the interpretation of energy demand studies in the pandemic period and address decisions and policymaking for sustainable energy transition.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2021.103536

Journal article2022

What Is the Relationship between Collective Memory and the Commoning Process in Historical Building Renovation Projects? The Case of the Mas di Sabe, Northern Italy

Cittati VM, Balest J, Exner D

Dagmar Exner, Jessica Balest

In Italy, an increasing number of historical buildings have been abandoned in the last decades. As a response, some local administrations decided to foster renovation projects to preserve their heritage for future generations. Among them, the northern municipality of Val di Zoldo (Veneto) relies on the European Shelter Project, which covers a part of the costs of renovating an ancient private barn called Mas di Sabe, which the community considers an identity symbol of local history and culture. For this reason, the local administration decided to acquire the structure through donations and expropriation, activating a commoning process of the Mas di Sabe. This process is based on the involvement of local inhabitants to identify the building’s future uses, which will inform the renovation project and the integration of renewable energy plants. Through thirteen semi-structured interviews, the study investigates how the collective memories of the building influence and are influenced by the commoning process of the Mas di Sabe. By analyzing the results and identifying five categories (future visions, collective memory, commoning process, energy, and resources), the study shows that collective memory and commoning process have a crucial role in determining people’s visions and imaginaries on historical buildings’ renovation.

DOI Fonte

DOI: 10.3390/su141911870

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Report2024

An Integrated Framework for Stakeholder and Citizen Engagement in Solar Neighborhoods: This is a report from SHC Task 63: Solar neighborhood planning and work performed in Subtask B: Economic Strategies and Stakeholder Engagement

Caballero N, Balest J, Giacovelli G

Jessica Balest, Grazia Giacovelli

DOI

DOI: 10.18777/ieashc-task63-2024-0001

Jessica Balest

About

Scientific Publications

From innovation to inaction: Why digital energy fails to empower citizens

Climate Justice: What it is and how it relates to other justice concepts and components (ASCEND project)

Spaces, forms, and levels engagement: Using the Powercube to explore social inclusion in digital energy and mobility systems

An Energy Self-Sufficient Alpine Hut: The Refurbishment of an Ex-Tobacco Farm Using Building Integrated Photovoltaics

An Integrated Framework for Stakeholder and Citizen Engagement in Solar Neighborhoods: This is a report from SHC Task 63: Solar neighborhood planning and work performed in Subtask B: Economic Strategies and Stakeholder Engagement

Review of Existing Tools for the Assessment of European Building Stock Energy Demand for Space Heating and Cooling

Monitored data and social perceptions analysis of battery electric and hydrogen fuelled buses in urban and suburban areas

Social implications of energy infrastructure digitalisation and decarbonisation

Transformative disruptiveness or transition? Revealing digitalization and deep decarbonization pathways in the Italian smart electricity meter roll-out

Engaging Stakeholders for Designing a FAIR Energy Data Management Tool: The Horizon 2020 EnerMaps Project

Social practices and energy use at home during the first Italian lockdown due to Covid-19

What Is the Relationship between Collective Memory and the Commoning Process in Historical Building Renovation Projects? The Case of the Mas di Sabe, Northern Italy

Science Shots Eurac Research Newsletter

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Scientific Publications

From innovation to inaction: Why digital energy fails to empower citizens

Climate Justice: What it is and how it relates to other justice concepts and components (ASCEND project)

Spaces, forms, and levels engagement: Using the Powercube to explore social inclusion in digital energy and mobility systems

An Energy Self-Sufficient Alpine Hut: The Refurbishment of an Ex-Tobacco Farm Using Building Integrated Photovoltaics

An Integrated Framework for Stakeholder and Citizen Engagement in Solar Neighborhoods: This is a report from SHC Task 63: Solar neighborhood planning and work performed in Subtask B: Economic Strategies and Stakeholder Engagement

Review of Existing Tools for the Assessment of European Building Stock Energy Demand for Space Heating and Cooling

Monitored data and social perceptions analysis of battery electric and hydrogen fuelled buses in urban and suburban areas

Social implications of energy infrastructure digitalisation and decarbonisation

Transformative disruptiveness or transition? Revealing digitalization and deep decarbonization pathways in the Italian smart electricity meter roll-out

Engaging Stakeholders for Designing a FAIR Energy Data Management Tool: The Horizon 2020 EnerMaps Project

Social practices and energy use at home during the first Italian lockdown due to Covid-19

What Is the Relationship between Collective Memory and the Commoning Process in Historical Building Renovation Projects? The Case of the Mas di Sabe, Northern Italy