Professor Matthew Hannon

Personal statement:

I am Director of the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities (SISC) and Professor of Sustainable Energy Business and Policy at Strathclyde Business School. My research examines the business models, policies and technologies necessary to accelerate a sustainability transition that empowers and enriches communities.

The Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities (SISC) is an interdisciplinary research institute that works with people in creative and flexible ways, to explore pathways for fair and sustainable futures, where communities are represented, empowered and enriched.

I am Lead Technical Author for BSI’s standard on Community Engagement and Benefits From Natural Capital for their Nature Investment Standards. I am a council member of the British Institute of Energy Economics, chair of the community environmental charity South Seeds, host of the Local Zero podcast and sits on Uswitch’s Green Tariff Accreditation review panel.

Key topic areas of research or interest:

I am Director of the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities (SISC), which explores pathways to a fair and sustainable future, where communities are represented, empowered and enriched.

Topics of personal research interest include:

– Community benefits
– Community-led governance and finance
– Community energy
– Sustainable business models
– Sustainability transitions
– Energy justice and just transitions
– Energy and land-use policy
– Carbon and biodiversity credits

Publications:

• Brown, D., Middlemiss, L., Davis, M., Bookbinder, R., Cairns, I., Hannon, M., Mininni, G., Brisbois, M. C., Owen, A., Hall, S., (2025) Rethinking retrofit: relational insights for the design of domestic energy efficiency policy, Energy Research and Social Science 120 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103863
• Fuentes González, F., Webb, J., Sharmina, M., Hannon, M., Braunholtz-Speight, T. Financing smart local energy systems: a conceptual framework and research agenda (2025) Energy Research and Social Science 119 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103915
• Davis, M., Middlemiss, L., Hall, S., Brown, D., Bookbinder, R., Owen, A., Brisbois, M. C., Mininni, G. M., Cairns, I., Hannon, M. (2024) Towards a Relational Sociology of Retrofit, Sociology https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385241298177
• Mininni, G., Brisbois, M. C., Middlemiss, L., Davis, M., Hannon, M., Owen, A., Brown, D., Hall, S., Bookbinder, R., Cairns, I. (2024) Landlords’ accounts of retrofit: A relational approach in the private rented sector in England. Energy Research & Social Science 118 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103742
• Cairns, I., Hannon, M., Mininni, G., Owen, A., Middlemiss, L., Brown, D., Davis, M., Hall, S., Bookbinder, R., Brisbois, M. C. (2024) Under One Roof: The Social Relations and Relational Work of Energy Retrofit in Multi-owned Properties, Energy Policy, 190, pp. 114-166 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114166
• Braunholtz-Speight, T., Webb, J., Hannon, M., Sharmina, M., Fuentes González, F. (2024) Smart power to the people: Business models for engaging domestic energy users in smart local energy systems in Britain, Energy Research and Social Science, 110
• Middlemiss, L., Davis, M., Hannon, M., Owen, A., Brown, D., Hall, S., Bookbinder, R., Brisbois, M. C., Cairns, I., Mininni, G. (2024) Developing a relational approach to energy: A methodological guide, Energy Research and Social Science, 110 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2024.103443
• Hannon, M., Cairns, I., Braunholtz-Speight, T., McLachlan, C., Mander, S., Hardy, J., Sharmina, M. (2023) Carrots, sticks and sermons: Policies to unlock UK community energy finance. Energy Research and Social Science, 100 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103086
• Owen, A., Middlemiss, L., Brown, D., Davis, M., Hall, S., Bookbinder, R., Brisbois, M. C., Cairns, I., Hannon, M., Mininni, G. (2023) Who applies for energy grants? Energy Research and Social Science, 101, pp.1030-123
• Cairns, I., Hannon, M., Braunholtz-Speight, T., McLachlan, C., Mander, S., Hardy, J., Sharmina, M., & Manderson, E. (2023) Financing grassroots innovation diffusion pathways: the case of UK community energy, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 46 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103123
• Pappas, D., Braunholtz-Speight, T., Hannon, M., Webb, J., Fuentes González, F., Sharmina, M. (2022) Business Models for Smart Local Energy Systems – A Triple Layered Perspective, Frontiers in Sustainable Energy Policy 1 https://doi.org/10.3389/fsuep.2022.1058534
• Fuentes González, F., Webb, J., Sharmina, M., Hannon, M., Pappas, D. (2022). Local energy businesses in the United Kingdom: clusters and localism determinants based on financial ratios. Energy, 239 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.122119 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.122119
• Knox, S., Hannon, M., Stewart, F., Ford, R., (2022) The (in)justices of smart local energy systems: A systematic review, integrated framework, and future research agenda, Energy Research and Social Science, 83 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102333
• Fuentes González, F., Webb, J., Sharmina, M., Hannon, M., Pappas, D., & Tingey, M. (2021). Characterising a local energy business sector in the United Kingdom: participants, revenue sources, and estimates of localism and smartness. Energy, 223 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2021.120045
• Braunholtz-Speight, T., McLachlan, C., Mander, S., Hannon, M., Hardy, J., Cairns, I., Sharmina, M., & Manderson, E. (2021). The long term future for community energy in Great Britain: a co-created vision of a thriving sector and steps towards realising it. Energy Research and Social Science, 78 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102044
• MacKenzie, N., Knox, S., Hannon, M., (2020) Fast Reactor Technology and the Entrepreneurial State, Business History 64 (8) pp 1494-1509 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/ref/10.1080/00076791.2020.1809653?scroll=top
• Braunholtz-Speight, T., Mander, S., Hannon, M., Hardy, J., McLachlan, C., Manderson, E. & Sharmina, M. (2020) Business Models and Financial Characteristics of Community Energy in the UK, Nature Energy 5 pp: 169–177 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-019-0546-4
• Frame, D., Hannon, M., Bell, K., McArthur, S. (2018) Innovation in Regulated Electricity Distribution Networks: A Review of Britain’s Low Carbon Network Fund, Energy Policy 119 pp: 121-132 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.02.033
• Hu, R., Skea, J., Hannon, M. (2018) Measuring the energy innovation process: An indicator framework and a case study of wind energy in China, Technological Forecasting and Social Change 127 pp: 227-244 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.09.025
• Bolton, R. P. G., Hannon, M. (2016) Governing sustainability transitions through business model innovation: The case of UK local authority application of the energy service company model, Research Policy 78 (9) pp. 1731–1742 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2016.05.003
• Hannon, M., Foxon, T. J., Gale, W. F. (2015) Government policies to support the uptake of sustainable Product-Service Systems: The case of the Energy Service Company (ESCo) model and the United Kingdom, Journal of Cleaner Production 108 pp: 900–915 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.05.082
• Hannon, M. (2015) Raising the temperature of the UK heat pump market: Learning lessons from Finland, Energy Policy 85 pp: 369–375 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2015.06.016
• Hannon, M., Bolton, R. (2015) UK Local Authority engagement with the Energy Service Company (ESCo) model: key characteristics, benefits, limitations and considerations, Energy Policy 78 pp: 198–212
• Rhodes, A., Skea J., Hannon, M., (2014) The global surge in energy innovation Energies 7 (9) pp: 5601-5623 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en7095601
• Hannon, M., Skea, J. (2014) UK innovation support for energy demand reduction, Proceedings of the ICE – Energy, 167 (3) pp: 1-10 http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/ener.14.00009
• Hannon, M., Foxon, T. J., Gale, W. F. (2013) The co-evolutionary relationship between Energy Service Companies and the UK energy system: Implications for a low-carbon transition, Energy Policy 61 pp:1031-1045 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.06.009
• Bale, C. S. E., Foxon, T. J., Hannon, M., (2012) Making the case for strategic energy planning within local authorities: a study from the city of Leeds, Energy Policy 48 pp: 242-251 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.05.019