Struggle over energy transition in Berlin: How do grassroots initiatives affect local energy policy-making?

Blanchet, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2014.11.001

Cited by 126 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Conflating niches with the local scale obscures processes of social change that sustain or threaten protective spaces, but which are not captured by describing local-global iterations or niche-regime interactions. These encompass (un)stable multi-level institutional arrangements that shape the capacities of sub-national authorities to support experiments, and which can result in path-dependent styles of experimentation [33,63], crises or windows of opportunity that spur experimentation [58], and discursive shifts repositioning cities as crucial spaces for redressing climate change [64]. These observations suggest we should consider multi-scalar relationships and interrogate the stable and unstable periods of formation of a favourable environment for experimentation.…”

Section: Local-global Model and Its Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Urban forms of experimentation are not framed by singular socio-technical trajectories [22]. Instead of assuming an undisputed set of shared rules as the outcomes of experimentation, we should address how distinct framings and visions are made, mobilised and contested [47,57,58]. Local stakeholders often experiment with multiple socio-technological pathways and have to negotiate a variety of interests and visions [6,57,59].…”

Section: Local-global Model and Its Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When a settlement emerges, framings promoted by powerful actors may dominate public discussion, leading to recognisable patterns of intervention by local authorities. Similarly, settlements figure in theorisations of 'strategic action fields' that are fruitful in the study of grassroots activism [58]. Here, actors are seen as embedded in 'socially constructed arenas within which actors with varying resource endowments vie for advantage' [66].…”

Section: Elements Of a Place-based Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Unpacking the Formation of Favourable Environments for Urban Experimentation: The Case of the Bristol Energy Scene

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urban experimentation with sustainability has been gaining prominence in policy and academic discourses about urban transformations, spurring the creation of urban living laboratories and transition arenas. However, the academic literature has only begun examining why experimentation flourishes in particular cities, and why it conforms to place-specific styles. Meanwhile, the strategic niche management (SNM) tradition has extensively explored how protective spaces for experimentation emerge but has dealt only tangentially with why this happens in particular places. In this paper, we develop an approach for unpacking the formation of favourable environments for experimentation in specific places. We adopt an abductive research design to create a dialogue between distinct theoretical positions and one in-depth case study. Our case examines the formation of the Bristol energy scene, which hosts a variety of experimental initiatives concerning civic energy alternatives. Based on our findings, we refine the understanding of the processes shaping this experimental setting. There is value in characterising the 'genealogy' of experimental spaces and acknowledging their antecedents, path-dependencies and place-specificities. Efforts to foster urban transformation demand nuanced accounts of how places become experimental because they are not static backgrounds for experimentation.

show abstract

Section: Local-global Model and Its Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Local-global Model and Its Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Elements Of a Place-based Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Unpacking the Formation of Favourable Environments for Urban Experimentation: The Case of the Bristol Energy Scene

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There is still little in the way of published research into public participation and public acceptance when deploying renewable energy, such as new wind energy farms in Japan (Motosu and Maruyama, 2016), constructing new overhead electrical transmission lines (Dovì and Battaglini, 2015;Komendantova et al, 2015) or grass-roots initiatives for community energy sectors (Webb et al, 2016). Blanchet (2015) similarly examined the growing role of grass-roots initiatives in the governance of urban energy systems in Berlin. The study analysed the conflicts over the re-municipalisation of Berlin's electricity grid and investigated the creation and strategic development of two grass-roots initiatives as well as their interaction with the local government and the established grid operator.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transition of Växjö and Sønderborg towards becoming fossil-fuel-free communities

Dyer

Ögmundardóttir

2018

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Energy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

2The findings are reported of ethnographic field studies carried out in two Scandinavian cities, namely Sønderborg and Växjö. The field studies investigated actors, networks and motivations that enable the deployment of renewable and energy-efficiency technologies for transition towards a fossil-fuel-free future. The research shows a pattern of different ideas and methods that contributed towards a common vision for significant reduction in energy use and emission. In the case of Växjö, the common narrative was one of protecting and valuing the environment through making good use of local resources, particularly from forestry. However, the theme for Sønderborg was one of job creation and business opportunities brought about by the creation of 'Project Zero' in a formal alliance between private and public sector organisations. Even so, both cities were characterised by dynamic communication and networking backed by political consensus.

show abstract

“…Cooperatives and similar forms of collective initiatives have begun to promote the smallscale implementation of renewable energy technologies (wind turbines, solar panels, etc.). These community energy projects (Seyfang et al 2013), grassroots initiatives (Blanchet 2015;Seyfang and Smith 2007) or collective and politically motivated renewable energy projects are part of a more general movement towards clean, democratic energy supply at local, regional and global levels Fuchs and Hinderer 2016;Scheer 2012;Morris and Jungjohann 2016). Although these socio-technical projects often emerge in nascent and small-scale niches (Geels and Schot 2007;Smith and Raven 2012), they nevertheless act as innovative examples of alternative production and supply models in the energy sector (Burger and Weinmann 2012;Wainstein and Bumpus 2016) and they may sometimes move beyond the local scale .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

El arraigo local en proyectos energéticos comunitarios. Una perspectiva de emprendimiento social

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An increasing number of community energy projects have emerged recently, reflecting diverse sociotechnical configurations in the energy sector. This article is based on an empirical study examining different types of community energy projects such as energy cooperatives, public service utilities and other entrepreneurially oriented initiatives across the European Union. Based on an in-depth analysis of three case studies, the article aims to introduce a social entrepreneurship perspective when discussing the relationship between local embeddedness and different forms of organisation and ownership in community energy. The results indicate that community energy projects can expand beyond the local scale without losing their collective and democratic form of functioning and ownership. Moreover, social movements can act as catalysts for this expansion beyond the local, in a quest for wider social transformation. Social entrepreneurship may provide a suitable analytical lens to avoid the 'local trap' when examining different forms of organisation and ownership in renewable energy, and further explore the question of scaling. KeywordsCommunity energy; Energy cooperatives; Public service utilities; Renewable energy; Social entrepreneurship; Social movements. resumenRecientemente, han surgido un número creciente de proyectos energéticos comunitarios, que reflejan diversas configuraciones socio-técnicas en el sector energético. Este artículo se basa en un estudio empírico que examina diferentes tipos de proyectos energéticos comunitarios como las cooperativas energéticas, las empresas de servicios públicos y otras iniciativas de orientación empresarial en toda la Unión Europea. Basado en un análisis en profundidad de tres estudios de caso, el artículo tiene como objetivo introducir una perspectiva de emprendimiento social cuando se discute la relación entre el arraigamiento local y los diferentes tipos de organización y propiedad en la energía comunitaria. Los resultados indican que los proyectos energéticos comunitarios pueden expandirse más allá de la escala local sin perder su forma colectiva y democrática de funcionamiento y propiedad. Además, los movimientos sociales pueden actuar como catalizadores de esta expansión más allá de lo local, en busca de una transformación social más amplia. El emprendimiento social puede proporcionar una lente analítica adecuada para evitar la "trampa local" al examinar diferentes formas de organización y propiedad en el sector de la energía renovable, mientras nos permite ahondar aún más en la cuestión de la expansión territorial de estos proyectos. PAlAbrAs clAve

show abstract

Struggle over energy transition in Berlin: How do grassroots initiatives affect local energy policy-making?

Cited by 126 publications

References 26 publications

Unpacking the Formation of Favourable Environments for Urban Experimentation: The Case of the Bristol Energy Scene

Unpacking the Formation of Favourable Environments for Urban Experimentation: The Case of the Bristol Energy Scene

Transition of Växjö and Sønderborg towards becoming fossil-fuel-free communities

El arraigo local en proyectos energéticos comunitarios. Una perspectiva de emprendimiento social

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About