Van den Bergh, Jeroen C. J. M.

Bruinsma, Frank R.

Managing the Transition to Renewable Energy.

Theory and Practice from Local, Regional and Macro Perspectives

Cheltenham

2008

9781847202291

This book addresses the problem of how to make a large-scale socio-technical transition to renewable energy, so as to realize an environmentally sustainable economy in the long run. Transition thinking has in a short time managed to occupy a central position in the policy debate on sustainable development. The transition approach offers an innovative view on the role and content of public policy, compared with traditional views from economic, administrative and political sciences. The main motivation for using this notion is that while it links up with the system-wide approach of sustainable development, it has the advantage of shifting the attention from a vague end goal (blueprint) to the processes leading towards this goal. These processes in turn provide a concrete basis for thinking about appropriate public policies, taking account of the complex relations between technologies, institutions and behaviours.This book offers perspectives from a wide range of disciplines, addressing macro, regional and local scales. Contributions come from mainstream economics, evolutionary economics, sociology, political sciences, innovation studies, spatial economics and decision theory. Important lessons are also drawn from historical transitions. "Managing the Transition to Renewable Energy" will appeal to academics and researchers in environmental science and economics, environmental and technological policy advisors, evolutionary economists and researchers on technological innovation.

Preface

1. The Transition to Renewable Energy: Background and Summary
Jeroen van den Bergh and Frank Bruinsma

PART I: SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL THEORY
2. Transition Management: Reflexive Governance of Societal Complexity through Searching, Learning and Experimenting
Jan Rotmans and Derk Loorbach

3. The Multilevel Perspective and Design of System Innovations
John Grin

4. Transition Lessons from Economics
Jeroen van den Bergh and René Kemp

5. Innovation Theory and Socio-technical Transitions
Frans Berkhout

6. An Evolutionary-Economic Analysis of Energy Transitions
Jeroen van den Bergh and Frans Oosterhuis

PART II: MACRO PRACTICE
7. Barriers and Options for Future Energy Transitions: Lessons from a Historical Analysis of the Dutch Electricity System
Geert Verbong and Frank Geels

8. Energy Transition Experiments in the Netherlands
Frank Dietz, Hugo Brouwer and Rob Weterings

9. Transition Management for the Dutch Energy Transition: Multilevel Governance Aspects
Derk Loorbach and René Kemp

10. An Evolutionary-Economic Evaluation of Barriers and Opportunities in Dutch Energy Innovation Policies
Annemarth Idenburg and Albert Faber

PART III: LOCAL AND REGIONAL PRACTICE
11. Renewable Energy Sources Planning and Design: A Multi-criteria Approach
Heracles Polatidis and Dias Haralambopoulos

12. Regional Diversity of Wind Energy Initiatives: The Dutch Experience
Frank Bruinsma and Ron Vreeker

13. Tackling Local Conflicts Caused by Renewable Energy Sources: Lessons Learned from Real-World Case Studies
Gonzalo Gamboa, Giuseppe Munda and Daniela Russi