Continuity and Disruption in UK Energy System Change: Mapping Expert Differences – and Understanding their Implications
Mike Kattirtz, University of Edinburgh Energy systems globally are undergoing dramatic changes, and many observers anticipate accelerated changes in the years ahead. The changes are being driven by a combination of high-level national and international policy agreements, as well as more bottom-up, insurgent changes in the cost and performance of energy technologies (supply, storage and use) and also changing consumer behaviours and social practices. Less visibly, energy systems also exhibit strong elements of continuity, in terms of the renewal, extension and repurposing of existing technical infrastructures and institutions. This pattern of both disruptive and continuity-based change, which is particularly evident in the UK energy system, is reflected in energy experts’ varied prescriptions for energy system change. As a result, there are multiple working definitions of the energy system change and system integration, with many questions and uncertainties about future pathways such as the extent of system rescaling, the key public and private agents of change and the extent to which consumers and citizens are likely to play a significant role in driving change. In their review of energy scenarios, McDowall Read more…
Categories: Academic Papers, Renewables
Tags: biofuel, community energy, Energy Consumers - Domestic, Energy Consumers Industrial, Energy demand, Energy Distribution, energy innovation, Energy policy, energy storage, Heat, renewable, Renewables, Smart Energy, solar, transport
Kattirzi-Continuity-and-disruption-in-UK-energy-system-change.pptx 4.33 MBKattiritz-Continuity-and-disruption-in-UK-energy-sytem-change.pdf 973.16 KBSep
2018