Giorgio Osti is associate professor of environmental sociology at Trieste University. He has made researches on three aspects of energy world: spatial dimension of renewables, energy retrofit of buildings, co-provision of energy. Main publications on the topic are: Land Use Tensions for the Development of Renewable Sources of Energy, in Lockie, Sonnenfeld, Fisher, 2013; Frames, organisations, and practices as social components of energy, International Review of Sociology, 22(3), 2012; Wind Energy Exchanges and Rural Development in Italy, in S. Sjöblom, et al. 2012.
Lecture: Social challenges in energy management
The topic is the chances of integrating social sciences into the researches on energy forms. Three points: first, sociological research is presented as an unavoidable, but rarefied knowledge which helps to build a systemic analysis, to find out turning points, assumptions, frames, to disclose opinions, values, ideas of lay people. Second, main sociological approaches – ecological, socio-technical, cognitive, relational – to energy topic will be illustrated and coupled with short examples. Third, conclusions on integration chances among sciences will be drawn.