scholarly journals Imagining sustainable energy and mobility transitions: Valence, temporality, and radicalism in 38 visions of a low-carbon future

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 642-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin K Sovacool ◽  
Noam Bergman ◽  
Debbie Hopkins ◽  
Kirsten EH Jenkins ◽  
Sabine Hielscher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Smart Meters ◽  
Media Content Analysis ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Rhetorical Features ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

Based on an extensive synthesis of semi-structured interviews, media content analysis, and reviews, this article conducts a qualitative meta-analysis of more than 560 sources of evidence to identify 38 visions associated with seven different low-carbon innovations – automated mobility, electric vehicles, smart meters, nuclear power, shale gas, hydrogen, and the fossil fuel divestment movement – playing a key role in current deliberations about mobility or low-carbon energy supply and use. From this material, it analyzes such visions based on rhetorical features such as common problems and functions, storylines, discursive struggles, and rhetorical effectiveness. It also analyzes visions based on typologies or degrees of valence (utopian vs. dystopian), temporality (proximal vs. distant), and radicalism (incremental vs. transformative). The article is motivated by the premise that tackling climate change via low-carbon energy systems (and practices) is one of the most significant challenges of the twenty-first century, and that effective decarbonization will require not only new energy technologies, but also new ways of understanding language, visions, and discursive politics surrounding emerging innovations and transitions.

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.

French Nuclear Energy: Concentrated Power

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Araújo
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Power Sector ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
High Concern ◽  
Stable Source ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

Nuclear energy is one of the most significant sources of low carbon energy in use in the power sector today. In 2013, nuclear energy represented roughly 11% of the global electricity supply, with growth projected to occur in China, India, and Russia (International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA], n.d.a; NEA, n.d.). As a stable source of electricity, nuclear energy can be a stand-alone, base-load form of electricity or complement more variable forms of low carbon energy, like wind and solar power. Among the energy technologies considered here, nuclear energy is complex not only for the science behind it, but also for its societal, environmental, and economic dimensions.This chapter explores the rapid rise of French nuclear energy in the civilian power sector. It considers what a national energy strategy looks like under conditions of high concern about energy supply security when limited domestic energy resources appear to exist. The case reveals that centralized planning with complex and equally centralized technology can be quite conducive to rapid change. However, continued public acceptance, especially for nuclear energy, matters in the durability of such a pathway. France is a traditional and currently global leader in nuclear energy, ranking the highest among countries for its share of domestic electricity derived from nuclear power at 76% of total electricity in 2015 (IAEA, n.d.b). France is highly ranked for the size of its nuclear reactor fleet and amount of nuclear generation, second only to the United States. In 2016, this nation of 67 million people and economy of $2.7 trillion had 58 nuclear power reactors (CIA, n.d.; IAEA, n.d.b). Due to the level of nuclear energy in its power mix, France has some of the lowest carbon emissions per person for electricity (IEA, 2016a). France is also one of the largest net exporters of electricity in Europe, with 61.7 TWh exported (Réseau de Transport d’électricité [RTE], 2016), producing roughly $3.3 billion in annual revenue (World Nuclear Association [WNA], n.d). This European country has the largest reprocessing capacity for spent fuel, with roughly 17% of its electricity powered from recycled fuel (WNA, n.d.).

Understanding Indicator Choice for the Assessment of RD&D Financing of Low-Carbon Energy Technologies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Sonnenschein
Keyword(s):  
Nordic Countries ◽  
Additional Research ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Research Development ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Standard Set ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

Rapid decarbonization requires additional research, development, and demonstration of low-carbon energy technologies. Various financing instruments are in place to support this development. They are frequently assessed through indicator-based evaluations. There is no standard set of indicators for this purpose. This study looks at the Nordic countries, which are leading countries with respect to eco-innovation. Different indicators to assess financing instruments are analysed with respect to their acceptance, the ease of monitoring, and their robustness. None of the indicators emerges as clearly superior from the analysis. Indicator choice is subject to trade-offs and leaves room for steering evaluation results in a desired direction. The study concludes by discussing potential policy implications of biases in indicator-based evaluation.

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.

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