Sociotechnical agendas: Reviewing future directions for energy and climate research

Sovacool, Benjamin K.; Hess, David J.; Amir, Sulfikar; Geels, Frank W.; Hirsh, Richard F.; Medina, Leandro Rodriguez; Miller, Clark A.; Palavicino, Carla Alvial; Phadke, Roopali; Ryghaug, Marianne; Schot, Johan; Silvast, Anntii; Stephens, Jennie C.; Stirling, Andy; Turnheim, Bruno; Vleuten, Erik van der; Lente, Harro van; Yearley, Steven

doi:10.1016/j.erss.2020.101617

Cited by 185 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 252 publications

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“…However, the causality running from RES to NUC is significant only in the case of Spain (formative phase). Nevertheless, these diverging nuclear and renewable pathways may reflect different technological, political, and social factors, such as greater construction costs, greater delays, and longer lead times for nuclear than renewable energy projects; moreover, the tightening of regulatory requirements for both operational and under-construction nuclear reactors may lead to significant price increases for ongoing projects and the danger of nuclear accidents and waste facilities, resulting in a lack of social acceptance [32].…”

Section: Impulse Response Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This result will offer useful and relevant information for policy makers about the impact of disaggregated energy consumption (or its optimal mix) for sustained economic growth in the countries under study and assess how possible it is to meet the climate change targets. Third, we inspect whether renewables have the tendency to replace nuclear power instead of fossil fuels [27,32], especially in the expansion phase of renewable diffusion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of Clean Energy on CO2 Emissions and Economic Growth within the Phases of Renewables Diffusion in Selected European Countries

Piłatowska

Geise

2021

Energies

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This study explores the impact of clean energy and non-renewable energy consumption on CO2 emissions and economic growth within two phases (formative and expansion) of renewable energy diffusion for three selected countries (France, Spain, and Sweden). The vector autoregression (VAR) model is estimated on the basis of annual data disaggregated into quarterly data. The Granger causality results reveal distinctive differences in the causality patterns across countries and two phases of renewables diffusion. Clean energy consumption contributes to a decline of emissions more clearly in the expansion phase in France and Spain. However, this effect seems to be counteracted by the increases in emissions due to economic growth and non-renewable energy consumption. Therefore, clean energy consumption has not yet led to a decoupling of economic growth from emissions in France and Spain; in contrast, the findings for Sweden evidence such a decoupling due to the neutrality between economic growth and emissions. Generally, the findings show that despite the enormous growth of renewables and active mitigation policies, CO2 emissions have not substantially decreased in selected countries or globally. Focused and coordinated policy action, not only at the EU level but also globally, is urgently needed to overhaul existing fossil-fuel economies into low-carbon economies and ultimately meet the relevant climate targets.

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Section: Impulse Response Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Clean Energy on CO2 Emissions and Economic Growth within the Phases of Renewables Diffusion in Selected European Countries

Piłatowska

Geise

2021

Energies

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“…In October, the International Energy Agency (IEA) acknowledged that net-zero carbon by 2050 was the new standard for a clean energy transition and laid out a roadmap for the world to get there (IEA, 2020a). Year 2020 witnessed a public willing to tackle systemic risks by transforming the intertwined social, economic and technological systems (Sovacool et al, 2020b) that have created overlapping crises of sustainability, health, equality and democracy (Miller, 2019). Generating shifts in human values and new ways of thinking and acting are often harder to achieve than technical solutions.…”

Section: New Insightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Year 2020 witnessed a public willing to tackle systemic risks by transforming the intertwined social, economic and technological systems (Sovacool et al, 2020b) that have created overlapping crises of sustainability, health, equality and democracy (Miller, 2019). Generating shifts in human values and new ways of thinking and acting are often harder to achieve than technical solutions.…”

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confidence: 99%

Ten new insights in climate science 2020 – a horizon scan

et al. 2021

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Non-technical summary We summarize some of the past year's most important findings within climate change-related research. New research has improved our understanding of Earth's sensitivity to carbon dioxide, finds that permafrost thaw could release more carbon emissions than expected and that the uptake of carbon in tropical ecosystems is weakening. Adverse impacts on human society include increasing water shortages and impacts on mental health. Options for solutions emerge from rethinking economic models, rights-based litigation, strengthened governance systems and a new social contract. The disruption caused by COVID-19 could be seized as an opportunity for positive change, directing economic stimulus towards sustainable investments. Technical summary A synthesis is made of ten fields within climate science where there have been significant advances since mid-2019, through an expert elicitation process with broad disciplinary scope. Findings include: (1) a better understanding of equilibrium climate sensitivity; (2) abrupt thaw as an accelerator of carbon release from permafrost; (3) changes to global and regional land carbon sinks; (4) impacts of climate change on water crises, including equity perspectives; (5) adverse effects on mental health from climate change; (6) immediate effects on climate of the COVID-19 pandemic and requirements for recovery packages to deliver on the Paris Agreement; (7) suggested long-term changes to governance and a social contract to address climate change, learning from the current pandemic, (8) updated positive cost–benefit ratio and new perspectives on the potential for green growth in the short- and long-term perspective; (9) urban electrification as a strategy to move towards low-carbon energy systems and (10) rights-based litigation as an increasingly important method to address climate change, with recent clarifications on the legal standing and representation of future generations. Social media summary Stronger permafrost thaw, COVID-19 effects and growing mental health impacts among highlights of latest climate science.

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“…They argue that business models cannot be a vehicle for sociotechnical transformations without major reforms to political, regulatory and market structures. Therefore, it is critical to analyze the impact of a sociotechnical context on the business model [26] to understand their real potential and scaling possibilities [27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining Business Model Innovation and Model-based Analysis to Tackle the Deep Uncertainty of Societal Transitions – A Case Study on Industrial Electrification and Power Grid Management

Riveros¹,

Speich²,

West³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Creating new business models is crucial for the implementation of clean technologies for industrial decarbonization. With incomplete knowledge of market processes and uncertain conditions, assessing the prospects of a technology-based business model is challenging. This study combines business model innovation, system dynamics and exploratory model analysis to identify new business opportunities in a context of socio-technical transition and assess their prospects through simulation experiments. Furthermore, insights are visualized in a roadmap to coordinate action among the actors involved. This combination of methods is applied to the case of a business model aiming at ensuring stability of the electrical grid by centralizing the management of flexible loads in industrial companies. A system dynamics model was set up to simulate the diffusion of flexible electrification technologies. Through scenario definition and sensitivity analysis, the influence of internal and external factors on diffusion was assessed. Results highlight the central role of energy costs and customer perception. The chosen combination of methods allowed the formulation of concrete recommendation for coordinated action, explicitly accounting for the various sources of uncertainty. We suggest testing this approach in further business model innovation contexts.

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Sociotechnical agendas: Reviewing future directions for energy and climate research

Cited by 185 publications

References 252 publications

Impact of Clean Energy on CO2 Emissions and Economic Growth within the Phases of Renewables Diffusion in Selected European Countries

Impact of Clean Energy on CO2 Emissions and Economic Growth within the Phases of Renewables Diffusion in Selected European Countries

Ten new insights in climate science 2020 – a horizon scan

Combining Business Model Innovation and Model-based Analysis to Tackle the Deep Uncertainty of Societal Transitions – A Case Study on Industrial Electrification and Power Grid Management

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