Integration of the participative dimension in the design space exploration decision-making model for the design of social innovation in the energy sector

Abstract The energy sector is undergoing a major shift towards sustainable and socially responsible solutions, which requires the development of new ideas, methods and technologies that prioritize environmental sustainability, social justice, and community participation. Designing social innovations in this complex sector requires informed decisions that consider different criteria and trade-offs. To answer this question, we propose a decision-making approach based on design space exploration method that involves the categorization of the design parameters of social innovations in the energy sector under four dimensions : environmental, economic, social, and participative. In this paper, we focus on the participative dimension of design parameters that allows the consideration of citizens’ engagement and acceptance from the preliminary phases of the design process. The fuzzy method is used to simulate this dimension. Finally, the model integrates the parameters of the 4 dimensions that define social innovation and generates possible and optimal solutions basing on MOGA II genetic algorithm. We used the example of a solar self-consumption system to illustrate and validate the proposed approach. The use case is described and visualization techniques, such as correlation matrices, parallel coordinate plots, and bubble plots, were generated to display design space and optimal design solutions. This provides designers with a comprehensive framework for exploring the design space and making trade-offs that facilitate the design of successful social innovations in the energy sector.