The convergence of electricity and digitalization in the Netherlands

Abstract

This paper explores the convergence of electricity and digitalization in the Netherlands. Based on the Advocacy Coalition Framework, we first show how the Paris Agreement on global warming in 2015 has led to a new renewable energy policy paradigm, in which digitalization plays a key enabling role. We will then show that the far-reaching convergence of electricity and digitalization pursued by European and Dutch policy makers will raise new policy issues. The core challenge is adequate energy data governance. Digitalization also raises policy issues in the areas of safety, consumer protection, democratic control, and equal distribution of costs and benefits in a digitized energy system. As the transition to a sustainable energy system must take place rapidly and energy data are expected to play a crucial role in achieving this, these issues are urgent.

Seeking Public Values of Digital Energy Platforms

“…Public values refer to the collective societal aspirations regarding what is right and wrong and what are appropriate courses of action. Milchram, van de Kaa, et al (2018, 2) define public values as “abstract principles and general convictions that people should hold paramount if society is to be good.” They are shaped, constructed, and defined in democratic processes (Dahl 2015; Moore 1995; Susskind 2020) and are embedded in institutions, such as laws, standards, and regulations (Dekker and Van Est 2020; Royakkers et al 2018; Werff and Steg 2016). What we understand by a certain public value can change in these democratic processes.…”

“…Digital energy platforms exemplify the convergence of the digital technologies sector and the energy sector; two sociotechnical systems with their own specific set of actors, technologies, interests, institutions, and thus public values (Dekker and Van Est 2020; Grin, Rotmans, and Schot 2010; May and Jochim 2013). To understand how digital energy platforms support or pressure public values and what value changes and value tensions are arising, we developed a framework using overarching public values, based on energy system, energy transition, energy justice, and digital technologies theories.…”

“…In recent years, we have seen increasing attempts to apply the economic, social, and technological model of the digital platform to energy provisioning (Duch-Brown and Rossetti 2020; Kloppenburg and Boekelo 2019; Küfeoğlu et al 2019; Terroso-Saenz et al 2019). “Platformization” of the electricity system is one of the outcomes of the digitalization of the energy system (Dekker and Van Est 2020; International Energy Agency 2017). Digital energy platforms promise to solve emerging problems of the energy transition, such as unpredictability of renewable electricity generation and variations in electricity demand, both leading to problems with grid capacity and grid balance (Terroso-Saenz et al 2019; Xu et al 2019).…”

Governing AI in Electricity Systems: Reflections on the EU Artificial Intelligence Bill

“…Due to growing variable renewable energy production 2 and the long-term expected increase in electricity demand 3 , SOs face new challenges with carrying out their public utility functions (see Figure 1, first column). The first challenge that SOs face is that, in contrast to the currently still dominant, more centralized ways of energy production, renewable energy production is decentralized, happening at various locations by a multitude of actors, using a variety of technologies (Dekker and van Est, 2020). For example, energy cooperatives are emerging that manage local, renewable energy projects (Delea and Casazza, 2010;Xu et al, 2019).…”

Varieties of health care digitalization: Comparing advocacy coalitions in Austria and Germany

“…Since our paper aims to reconstruct the beliefs and constellations of relevant actors in this emerging policy subsystem and relate them to different policy outcomes in our two cases, the ACF appears as an adequate research strategy. Moreover, the ACF has been successfully used on emerging policy issues that are characterized by high‐conflict situations and technical complexity (Dekker & van Est, 2020). This fits well with a topic such as digitalization where both utopian and dystopian visions of a (near) future abound and a considerable uncertainty exists on the part of policy actors of how to interpret scientific information.…”