Using 'smartness' to reorganise sectors: Energy infrastructure and information engagement

Abstract The second decade of the 21st century is distinctive by the rapid deployment of sensors, meters and other measurement technology that by their ability to detect and report data on events or changes in the environment are considered central in the reorganization of many sectors. The collected information is expected to improve efficiency and coordination, already enhancing the delivery of services in sectors such as health care, environment or entertainment. While infrastructural elements, such as roads, street lighting or waste containers, have traditionally been non-informational, now these kinds of elements are being furnished with sensors as part of an effort to change how their respective sectors operate. Energy sector, with its shift to the ‘smart grid’ infrastructure, provides a case study of how efforts at reorganising the sector are impacted by the relationship households develop to large quantities of energy information. Based on findings from studying ‘smart grid’ development in Japan, I argue that, to enable a reorganisation of the energy sector, extensive tailoring of information is required in order to engage users to develop an active relationship with infrastructure.