Masculine roles and practices in homes with photovoltaic systems

Privately owned, domestic photovoltaic (PV) panels can play an important role in the transition to a low-carbon society by producing renewable energy for the grid and engaging households in energy management. In both aspects, gender is an issue, leading to the development of new theoretical concepts, e.g. the 'resource man', the 'flexibility woman' and the 'mother-multiple'. However, a deeper understanding of the role of masculinity may reveal gender complicity and can inform the design of these technologies to be more inclusive. This ethnographic study investigates masculine roles, practices and domesticities for energy management activities in the home. It examines Danish PV owners as domestic prosumers based on in-depth qualitative interviews of 18 participants in 12 households. The use of PV technologies (and their interfaces) reproduces several masculine domesticities that work both productively and counterproductively with feminine domesticities. Technology and energy management are often situated as male hobbies related to masculine self-expression, identity and homemaking. To unlock the full potential of sustainable energy engagement consumption and practices, both masculine and feminine approaches are needed at the conceptual and practical levels. PRACTICE RELEVANCE The successful deployment and operation of domestic PV systems depends on aligning the timing of production and consumption of energy in a household. This involves both traditional male and female domains within a household. Significant gaps in understandings, communication and practices were found in many households due to gendered roles. This compromises the potential of domestic generation of renewable energy. Awareness of gender relations can promote the integration and improve practices by providing households with information about technical and less technical aspects of time-shifting practices. Both feminine and masculine understandings of technology, practices and energy consumption are necessary for a more effective transition to the use of smart energy technologies, and with a more equal distribution of these competencies and practices in households with heterosexual couples. In addition, the design and usability of smart energy technology should embrace the needs of both female and male users. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/.