Re-examining historical energy transitions and urban systems in Europe

Historical energy transitions: Speed, prices and system transformation

“…The literature on historical energy transitions has blossomed in the last ten years (Gales et al 2007, Geels and Schot 2007, Bartoletto and Rubio 2008, Madureira 2008, Kunnas and Myllyntaus 2009, Allen 2009, Ayres and Warr 2009, Wrigley 2010, Smil 2010, Mitchell 2011, Kander et al 2013, Grübler and Wilson 2014, and Jones 2014. Perhaps triggered by unfolding events, and partly stimulated by the special issue in this journal, research output on using experiences from past energy transitions to inform the present and future policies has accelerated (Sarrica et al 2016, Sovacool 2016, Chabrol 2016, Andrews-Speed 2016, Pearson 2016.…”

Energy and labour: Thinking across the continuum

“…According to Malm (2016), the rise of a fossil economy was connected by the utilization of steam ‘as a form of power exercised by some people against others’ (p. 108); his work provides a Marxist interpretation of the relationship between carbon-based development and capital accumulation. During the industrial revolution, energy consumption became associated with a much wider set of economic spheres beyond the home – factories, commerce, public space – involving multiple forms of work and labour organization (Chabrol, 2016; Tomory, 2012; Trew, 2014). Electrification had a dramatic impact upon labour practices – both on the industrial floor and outside it (Fouquet, 2008).…”

Nigeria's quest for alternative clean energy development: A cobweb of opportunities, pitfalls and multiple dilemmas

“…One of the major requirements for a successful clean energy transition is the availability of technical knowledge to drive it. This is so because energy transitions are not happenstance as they involve complex processes of innovation and structural changes (Chabrol, 2016). These changes often involve long-term visioning that spans technology development, knowledge generation on the compatibility of new and old technologies for continued provision of services, and the wider societal impacts of such new technologies (Osunmuyiwa et al, 2018).…”