scholarly journals The role of electricity storage and hydrogen technologies in enabling global low-carbon energy transitions

2018 ◽  
Vol 216 ◽  
pp. 649-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine McPherson ◽  
Nils Johnson ◽  
Manfred Strubegger
Keyword(s):  
Low Carbon ◽  
Electricity Storage ◽  
Energy Transitions ◽  
Hydrogen Technologies ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

scholarly journals Creating energy citizenship through material participation

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Ryghaug ◽  
Tomas Moe Skjølsvold ◽  
Sara Heidenreich
Keyword(s):  
Public Support ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Electric Car ◽  
Energy Transitions ◽  
New Energy ◽  
New Material ◽  
Knowledge Deficits ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

Transitions towards low-carbon energy systems will be comprehensive and demanding, requiring substantial public support. One important contribution from STS is to highlight the roles of citizens and public engagement. Until recently, energy users have often been treated as customers and passive market actors, or as recipients of technology at the margins of centralized systems. With respect to the latter role, critical or hesitant public action has been explained in terms of NIMBYism and knowledge deficits. This article focuses on the production of energy citizenship when considering public participation in low-carbon energy transitions. We draw upon the theory of ‘material participation’ to highlight how introducing and using emergent energy technologies may create new energy practices. We analyze an ongoing introduction of new material objects, highlighting the way these technologies can be seen as material interventions co-constructing temporalities of new and sustainable practices. We argue that artefacts such as the electric car, the smart meter and photovoltaic panels may become objects of participation and engagement, and that the introduction of such technologies may foster material participation and energy citizenship. The paper concludes with a discussion about the role of policies for low-carbon energy transitions on the making of energy citizenship, as well as limits of introducing a materially based energy citizenship.

scholarly journals The role of hydrogen and fuel cells in the global energy system

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain Staffell ◽  
Daniel Scamman ◽  
Anthony Velazquez Abad ◽  
Paul Balcombe ◽  
Paul E. Dodds ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy System ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Global Energy ◽  
System P ◽  
Attractive Option ◽  
The Status ◽  
Hydrogen Technologies ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

Hydrogen technologies have experienced cycles of excessive expectations followed by disillusion.Nonetheless, a growing body of evidence suggests these technologies form an attractive option forthe deep decarbonisation of global energy systems, and that recent improvements in their cost andperformance point towards economic viability as well. This paper is a comprehensive review of thepotential role that hydrogen could play in the provision of electricity, heat, industry, transport andenergy storage in a low-carbon energy system, and an assessment of the status of hydrogen in beingable to fulfil that potential. The picture that emerges is one of qualified promise: hydrogen is wellestablished in certain niches such as forklift trucks, while mainstream applications are now forthcoming.Hydrogen vehicles are available commercially in several countries, and 225,000 fuel cell home heatingsystems have been sold. This represents a step change from the situation of only five years ago. Thisreview shows that challenges around cost and performance remain, and considerable improvements arestill required for hydrogen to become truly competitive. But such competitiveness in the medium-termfuture no longer seems an unrealistic prospect, which fully justifies the growing interest and policysupport for these technologies around the world.

Low Carbon Energy Transitions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Araújo
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Good News ◽  
Energy Planning ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Technological Complexity ◽  
Energy Transitions ◽  
Oil Crisis ◽  
Government Workers ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

The world is at a pivotal crossroad in energy choices. There is a strong sense that our use of energy must be more sustainable. Moreover, many also broadly agree that a way must be found to rely increasingly on lower carbon energy sources. However, no single or clear solution exists on the means to carry out such a shift at either a national or international level. Traditional energy planning (when done) has revolved around limited cost projections that often fail to take longer term evidence and interactions of a wider set of factors into account. The good news is that evidence does exist on such change in case studies of different nations shifting toward low-carbon energy approaches. In fact, such shifts can occur quite quickly at times, alongside industrial and societal advance, innovation, and policy learning. These types of insights will be important for informing energy debates and decision-making going forward. Low Carbon Energy Transitions: Turning Points in National Policy and Innovation takes an in-depth look at four energy transitions that have occurred since the global oil crisis of 1973: Brazilian biofuels, Danish wind power, French nuclear power, and Icelandic geothermal energy. With these cases, Dr. Araújo argues that significant nationwide shifts to low-carbon energy can occur in under fifteen years, and that technological complexity is not necessarily a major impediment to such shifts. Dr. Araújo draws on more than five years of research, and interviews with over 120 different scientists, government workers, academics, and members of civil society in completing this study. Low Carbon Energy Transitions is written for for professionals in energy, the environment and policy as well as for students and citizens who are interested in critical decisions about energy sustainability. Technology briefings are provided for each of the major technologies in this book, so that scientific and non-scientific readers can engage in more even discussions about the choices that are involved.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal perspectives on urban energy transitions: a comparative study of three cities in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanesa Castán Broto ◽  
Daphne Mah ◽  
Fangzhu Zhang ◽  
Ping Huang ◽  
Kevin Lo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Urban China ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Energy Transitions ◽  
Urban Energy ◽  
Temporal Dimensions ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

Abstract This paper develops an integrated framework to study the socio-spatial and temporal dimensions of urban energy transitions to investigate the development and spread of solar energy technologies in urban China. A comparative analysis of three case studies of solar energy transitions in the cities of Foshan (in Guangdong), Rizhao (in Shandong), and Wuxi (in Jiangsu) demonstrates the framework’s applicability. The results map each city’s trajectory towards low carbon energy. Transitions result from dynamic interactions among central and local governments, solar manufacturers, solar installers, and residents. Alongside industrial strategies, locally-specific factors have a determining influence on the eventual outcomes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document