Scaling up sustainable energy innovations

Naber, Rolf; Raven, Rob; Kouw, Matthijs; Dassen, Ton

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2017.07.056

Cited by 123 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Studies of socio-technical transition have referred to upscaling from experiments most explicitly. They generally refer to upscaling from innovation experiments or projects as not only the growing level of adoption (as in diffusion studies), but also the changing social and institutional context, or, in their words, the growing alignment of technologies, actors and institutions (For the argument in this paper it is not productive to flesh out the slight differences in defining upscaling, such as between Kemp & Grin [12], the emergence of a set of new practices learned from practical experiments, with corresponding new structure and culture elements; Van den Bosch [13], all activities aimed at embedding the experiment in the structure, culture and practices at a higher scale level (the regime), or Naber et al [14], four types of upscaling: (1) growing (i.e., the experiment continues with more actors), (2) replication (on other locations), (3) accumulation (i.e., linking to other experiments), (4) transformation(i.e., the experiment shapes wider institutional change in the regime)). Transition studies have offered a wealth of cases of societal transformation, but to what extent do these elaborate how established socio-institutional contexts constrain upscaling from experiments?…”

Section: Conceptualizing Constraints On Upscalingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anticipating Constraints on Upscaling from Urban Innovation Experiments

2018

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The upscaling of innovations from urban experiments is often assumed to be relatively easy, as if they can simply be 'rolled out'. In practice, however, upscaling is usually constrained by a range of factors in the wider context of the innovation, typically a context of interconnected and 'obdurate' urban socio-technical networks and institutions. Innovation studies have used the notion of upscaling from experiments most explicitly in studies of transitions, especially of strategic niche management (SNM) and transition management (TM). However, these studies have focused more on niche internal dynamics and future visions, respectively, and much less on constraints in the present socio-institutional context. This paper offers a conceptual contribution on 'constraints on upscaling', elaborating on how upscaling can be more effective when constraints on upscaling are first identified in retrospective systems analysis, and then anticipated in the design of urban experiments. Our focus is on innovation in urban mobility systems. After a conceptualization of 'constraints on upscaling', based on a review of the literature of transition, social innovation, geography and science & technology studies, we present a retrospective analysis of urban mobility in Maastricht (NL) in which these interrelated constraints can be recognized. Further, we analyze a pilot on electric bus mobility which was relatively successful in anticipating future constraints. Based on this, we offer some guidelines on how to anticipate upscaling in the design of urban experiments with socio-technical innovations.

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Section: Conceptualizing Constraints On Upscalingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anticipating Constraints on Upscaling from Urban Innovation Experiments

2018

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“…They translate lessons from local experiments into more generic knowledge and use it to frame and coordinate local projects (Geels and Raven, 2006). This concept of scaling-up is also known as broadening (Van den Bosch and Rotmans, 2008) or accumulation (Naber et al, 2017) and refers essentially to the idea of repeating a sustainability experiment in new contexts and linking it to other domains.…”

Section: Strategic Niche Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the scaling-up of community energy niches through strategic niche management theory: Insights from Finland

Ruggiero

Martiskainen

Onkila

2018

Journal of Cleaner Production

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a b s t r a c tThe growing phenomenon of civil society involvement in renewable energy generation has attracted researchers' interest. However, rather little is known of how a diverse and relatively small sector such as community energy could scale up and promote a change in energy production. We examine this issue through the lens of Strategic Niche Management (SNM) and conceptualize community energy as a sociotechnical niche that holds the potential to promote a transition to renewable energy. Drawing on interview data with members of community energy projects and experts in Finland, we identify different types of community energy projects and the factors that may prevent them from scaling up. The study contributes a typology of community energy projects by showing which initiatives could be more inclined to be part of a strategy aiming at scaling up the sector. It also shows the tensions of SNM in the context of non-market-driven innovation, highlighting how exogenous factors such as cultural aspects, the specific context in which community energy develops and the characteristics of community groups are also relevant in the scaling-up process.

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“…Wieczorek [9] highlights that practical strategies of upscaling can include anchorage, translation, value creation or empowerment. According to Naber et al [20], little is known about how experiments scale up and which processes are important for the upscaling of experiments. A few exceptions exist [21,22].…”

Section: Theoretical Framework: Upscaling Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A few exceptions exist [21,22]. As a response to this lack, Naber et al [20] have developed a framework for determining sustainable innovation upscaling, and which we have usefully deployed in our analysis below.…”

Section: Theoretical Framework: Upscaling Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Experiments and Demonstration Projects in Efforts of Upscaling: An Analysis of Two Projects Attempting to Reconfigure Production and Consumption in Energy and Mobility

et al. 2019

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There is a multitude of experimentation, pilot and demonstration projects across Europe aiming to reconfigure energy consumption and production systems. Demo-projects and experiments have been recognized as important instruments to implement sustainability transitions in practice. Transition scholars have done much to clarify how we should understand experiments and pilot projects, focusing on involved actors, what is learned, and how the knowledge is used. In this paper we study two pilot project and discuss their qualities as sites that bundle new systemic properties, technologies, regulations, business models and user practices in new ways. We discuss these cases as new configurations with promising transformative implications. The two cases studied are a Norwegian and an Austrian smart grid demonstration. Both cases represent companies that have transformed their relation to and participation in the transport system as an outcome of pilot projects and experiments. The study analyses the complexity of factors influencing the effectiveness and success of these reconfigurations in providing destabilization and change within until now relatively stable regimes.

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Scaling up sustainable energy innovations

Cited by 123 publications

References 25 publications

Anticipating Constraints on Upscaling from Urban Innovation Experiments

Anticipating Constraints on Upscaling from Urban Innovation Experiments

Understanding the scaling-up of community energy niches through strategic niche management theory: Insights from Finland

The Role of Experiments and Demonstration Projects in Efforts of Upscaling: An Analysis of Two Projects Attempting to Reconfigure Production and Consumption in Energy and Mobility

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