The transformation of the energy system is a highly complex process involving many dimensions. Energy system models help to understand the process and to define either target systems or policy measures. Insights derived from the social sciences are not sufficiently represented in energy system models, but address crucial aspects of the transformation process. It is, therefore, necessary to develop approaches to integrate results from social science studies into energy system models. Hence, as a result of an interdisciplinary discourse among energy system modellers, social scientists, psychologists, economists and political scientists, this article explains which aspects should be considered in the models, how the respective results can be collected and which aspects of integration into energy system models are conceivable to provide an overview for other modellers. As a result of the discourse, five facets are examined: Investment behaviour (market acceptance), user behaviour, local acceptance, technology innovation and socio-political acceptance. Finally, an approach is presented that introduces a compound of energy system models (with a focus on the macro and micro-perspective) as well as submodels on technology genesis and socio-political acceptance, which serves to gain a more fundamental knowledge of the transformation process.
Converging infrastructures illustrate the complexity of the processes involved in both operational sector coupling and socio-technical sector integration. What consequences of this development can technology impact research estimate today and what difficulties will arise in doing so? This article introduces the TATuP special topic as well as the individual contributions and also addresses socio-political aspects, beyond the usual questions of technical feasibility and efficiency: What strategies are developed to initiate and control comprehensive change? What are the mechanisms to maintain the ability to act despite great uncertainties for all those concerned with future converging infrastructures for energy, transport, and heating/cooling. The interdisciplinary approach to the topic focuses on three central “socio-technical problems” and gives a first insight into the conditions under which converging infrastructures emerge and what consequences these processes might have.
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