Smart grids demonstration and the responsive electricity consumer

Résumé En

This paper is concerned with the coming into being of a new type of consumer in the electricity sector which we choose to name “responsive consumer”. ‘Responsive’ echoes to ‘demand-response’, a term used by actors in the electricity sector in order to point at the possibility for the electricity demand - so, for the electricity consumer - to become reactive to price signals. “Responsive” also echoes to “responsible” which refers to the integration of an environmental concern that translate in a certain care towards one’s energy consumption. The responsive consumer might thus also respond to other non-price signals such as grid congestion signals, non-wind generated, polluted electricity signals, etc. The paper explores the articulation between the “demonstration” of smart grid as a policy style and the construction of the responsive electricity consumer. The analysis is centered on France and the EU.