Between grassroots and treetops: Community power and institutional dependence in the renewable energy sector in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands
Henk-Jan Kooij, Marieke Oteman, Sietske Veenman, Karl Sperling, Dick Magnusson, Jenny Palm, Frede Hvelplund | Energy Research & Social Science. Volume 37, March 2018, Pages 52-64
Abstract
The speed and progress of transitions towards renewable energy systems varies greatly between European member states. Among others, these differences have been attributed to the emergence of grassroots initiatives (GIs) that develop radical ideas and sustainable practices. The goal of this paper is to understand the differences in the emergence of GIs for renewable energy in relation to the institutional characteristics of Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden. We analyze the possibilities of GIs to emerge and act within three dimensions: the material-economic, the actor-institutional and discursive dimension. We conclude that conditional factors lie within the material-economic dimension in terms of the biophysical conditions, the structure of the economy, energy dependency and the energy market. Within the actor-institutional dimension, we conclude that the presence or absence of fossil fuel incumbents, such as regional utilities, strongly influence the possibilities of GIs. Within the discursive dimension, openness for alternative discourses proved to be enabling for GI-activities, as well as democratized knowledge production. In addition to these conditions of possibility, GIs can also act despite dominant institutions, albeit limited. Finally, GIs need a strong network with knowledge institutes, technology developers and political parties in order to achieve institutional change that enables GIs to flourish. Without institutional space, GIs remain subjected to the dominant power-relations, and cannot exert much influence upon the energy system.
Keywords
Grassroots initiatives, Renewable energy transition, Institutional change, Conditions of possibility
Pioneering Renewable Energy in an Economic Energy Policy System: The History and Development of Dutch Grassroots Initiatives
Marieke Oteman, Henk-Jan Kooij, Mark Wiering | Sustainability. 2017, 9(4), 55
Abstract
The speed and progress of transitions towards renewable energy systems varies greatly between European member states. Among others, these differences have been attributed to the emergence of grassroots initiatives (GIs) that develop radical ideas and sustainable practices. The goal of this paper is to understand the differences in the emergence of GIs for renewable energy in relation to the institutional characteristics of Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden. We analyze the possibilities of GIs to emerge and act within three dimensions: the material-economic, the actor-institutional and discursive dimension. We conclude that conditional factors lie within the material-economic dimension in terms of the biophysical conditions, the structure of the economy, energy dependency and the energy market. Within the actor-institutional dimension, we conclude that the presence or absence of fossil fuel incumbents, such as regional utilities, strongly influence the possibilities of GIs. Within the discursive dimension, openness for alternative discourses proved to be enabling for GI-activities, as well as democratized knowledge production. In addition to these conditions of possibility, GIs can also act despite dominant institutions, albeit limited. Finally, GIs need a strong network with knowledge institutes, technology developers and political parties in order to achieve institutional change that enables GIs to flourish. Without institutional space, GIs remain subjected to the dominant power-relations, and cannot exert much influence upon the energy system.
Keywords
Grassroots initiatives, Renewable energy transition, Institutional change, Conditions of possibility
Who brings the heat? – From municipal to diversified ownership in the Swedish district heating market post-liberalization
Dick Magnusson | Energy Research & Social Science. Volume 22, December 2016, Pages 198-209
Abstract
District heating in Sweden has undergone changes in recent decades. Parallel with transition towards sustainability, a considerable ownership restructuring has occurred, due to liberalization of energy markets. The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze trends of mergers and acquisitions in the Swedish district heating market. A systematic review of ownership in 290 municipalities has been performed through annual reports, press releases, websites, municipal minutes, newspaper articles and personal contacts. The paper shows a transformation from municipal to diverse ownership, decreased municipal ownership and increased internationalization. The window of opportunity provided by liberalization was used especially by the “big three” (E.ON, Fortum and Vattenfall) in order to strengthen market position early in the wave of acquisitions. The time period 1996–2005 was especially hectic, showing strategies of cherry picking hot spots for acquisitions, with the “big three” being responsible for a large proportion of these. The period after 2006 showed trends of companies selling several district heating businesses at once, through large-scale disinvestment. The paper shows a transformation of the district heating regime, first as a reaction to changes on the electricity market and later in its own right, raising concerns regarding the weak position of customers.
Keywords
District heating, Sweden, Mergers & acquisitions, Sociotechnical change
Grassroots innovations
Who Beats the Dutch Tax Department? Tracing 20 Years of Niche–Regime Interactions on Collective Solar PV Production in The Netherlands
Henk-Jan Kooij, Arnoud Lagendijk & Marieke Oteman | Sustainability. Volume 10, Issue 8, August 2018, Pages 1-16
Abstract
In the past years, Dutch citizens have experimented with various kinds of innovations to organize the collective production of renewable energy, including shared wind power and solar PV installations. Most of these attempts failed mainly due to legal issues and tax rules. Yet, one model for solar PV on collective roofs was implemented more widely, namely the postcode rose (PCR, postcoderoos): a form of cooperative solar PV production within a set of adjacent postcode areas. Set within a broader transition perspective, this article studies the emergence and evolution of the PCR as an example of a successful social innovation in the energy transition, through an innovation biography and mapping of the evolution of the social and institutional network around the innovation. The various attempts for collective solar PV, with different degrees of success and uptake into the regime, present a key aspect of niche development, namely associational work (circulation and mobilization) focused on regime change. In conclusion, the innovation path of the PCR emphasizes the importance of the political and associational in the energy transition and in transition thinking.
Keywords
Renewable Energy; Innovation Biography; Multi-Level Perspective; Actor Network Theory (ANT); Grassroots Innovation
Going back to the roots: the fourth generation of Swedish eco-villages
Dick Magnusson | Scottish Geographical Journal, april 2018. DOI: 10.1080/14702541.2018.1465199
Abstract
Framing and media
The renewable energy challenge
Electricity cost effects of expanding wind power and integrating energy sectors
Victor Maxwell, Karl Sperling, Frede Hvelplund | International Journal of Sustainable Energy Planning and Management (2015) 6, 31-48
Abstract
Recently, questions have arisen in Denmark as to how and why public funding should be allocated to wind power producers. This is, among other reasons, due to pressure from industrial electricity consumers who want their overall energy costs lowered. Utilising existing wind power subsidies across energy sectors may be an effective means of dealing with these concerns. The following article takes the case of a community owned renewable energy project as a microcosm for the entire Danish energy system. The local project seeks to integrate energy sectors so as to create physical and financial conditions which could allow wind power producers to reduce their reliance on subsidies. It is found that the strategy may be effective in lowering the overall energy costs of electricity consumers. Further, it is found possible to scale up this strategy and realise benefits on a national scale.
Keywords
District heating, Sweden, Mergers & acquisitions, Sociotechnical change
Adviesrapport Energietransitie in Gelderland (advice report energy transition in Gelderland)
Henk-Jan Kooij, Marieke Oteman, Huub Ploegmakers | PRO Gelderland 2015. Advice report to the provincial spatial council
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Hvem skal eje de kystnære havvindmøller?: Et casestudie af Vind & Velfærd projektet
Louise Krog Jensen, Karl Sperling | Institut for Planlægning, Aalborg Universitet (2016)
Abstract
Denne rapport undersøger græsrodsorganisationers mulighed for at byde ind ved udbud af kystnære havvindmøller i Danmark, under de nuværende rammebetingelser på området. Der tages udgangs-punkt i en undersøgelse af dette, gennem et case-studie af græsrodsorganisationen Wind Peoples for-søg på at byde ind med et folkeligt projekt ved det danske udbud af 350 MW kystnære havvindmøller. Der er udført en række dybdegående interviews med Wind Peoples medarbejdere for at kunne lave en dybdegående analyse af deres ageren og oplevelser af at bevæge sig ind på markedet for de kystnære havvindmøller. Rapporten konkluderer, at det under de nuværende rammebestemmelser ikke er muligt for græsrodsorganisationer at byde ind med folkelige projekter i forbindelse med udbud af kystnære hav-vindmøller i Danmark. Der er derfor behov for, at der sker en tilpasning af rammebetingelserne. Dette er dog ikke i sig selv nok til at åbne op for, at græsrods-organisationerne kan komme ind på markedet, da undersøgelsen viser, at de etablerede aktører på markedet ligeledes har en stor indflydelse på, hvem der får lov til at komme ind på markedet. Resultatet af rapporten er en række anbefalinger til de danske politikere og Energistyrelsen rettet mod tiltag, som kan være med til at sikre en bredere konkurrence ved fremtidige udbud af havvindmøller i Danmark. Anbefalingerne går bl.a. på, at der, med henblik på udarbejdelsen af udbudsbetingelser i forbindelse med udbud, undersøges, hvordan de forskellige ak-tørgrupper organisatorisk er opbygget for dermed at kunne udarbejde passende prækvalifikationskrav. Endvidere er der udarbejdet en række anbefalinger til græsrodsorganisationer, som ønsker at byde ind ved fremtidige udbud i Danmark. Her går anbefalin-gerne bl.a. på, at græsrodsorganisationerne skal aktivere deres faglige professionelle netværk til at trække i tråde og komme i kontakt med relevante personer og aktører, i forbindelse med organiserin-gen af et bud eller projekt.
Who should own the nearshore wind turbines? A case study of the Wind and Welfare project
Louise Krog Jensen, Karl Sperling | Institut for Planlægning, Aalborg Universitet (2016)
Abstract
This report examines the possibility for non-profit organisations to participate in tenders for nearshore wind turbines in Denmark under the current frame-work conditions in the area. The point of departure is a case study of the non-profit organisation Wind People’s attempt to participate with a popular project in the Danish tender for 350 MW nearshore wind turbines. A series of in-depth interviews have been carried out with Wind People’s staff in order to make an in-depth analysis of their actions and experiences of entering into the market for nearshore wind turbines. The report concludes that it is not possible for non-profit organisations to participate with popular projects in connection with tenders for nearshore wind turbines in Denmark under the current framework conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to make a modification of the framework conditions. In itself, this is not sufficient to pave the way for non-profit organisations to be able to enter the market, however, as the study shows that the established actors in the market also have a large influence on who is allowed to enter the market. The results of the report are a number of recommendations to the Danish politicians and the Danish Energy Agency aimed at measures that can help to ensure broader competition at future tenders for offshore wind turbines in Denmark. In preparation for tender conditions in connection with tenders, it is for in-stance recommended that an analysis is conducted on how the various groups of stakeholders are organised in order to be able to prepare appropriate pre-qualification requirements. Furthermore, a number of recommendations have been prepared for non-profit organisations that wish to participate in future tenders in Denmark. One of the recommendations is that the non-profit organisations should activate their academic professional network to pull the strings and get in touch with relevant persons and actors when organising a tender or a project.
Barriers and Recommendations to Innovative Ownership Models for Wind Power
Louise Krog Jensen, Karl Sperling & Henrik Lund| Energies (11)10: 2602 (2018)
Abstract
Local ownership models have proven to be an important way to avoid local resistance to onshore wind turbines. As wind power expands into onshore and nearshore wind farms, such ownership models become of increasing importance, while also undergoing further development. This paper uses the Choice Awareness theory to examine some of the barriers connected to the implementation of these new ownership models and presents recommendations to overcome such barriers. Choice Awareness addresses societal aspects (discourse, socioeconomics, and public regulation) mainly related to implementing alternatives to existing technologies. For the theory to be able to embrace the complexity of the transition of the energy system more holistically, we explore and specify the organizational dimension of choice-eliminating mechanisms. Based on the case of an NGO’s attempt to bid for a tender for nearshore wind turbines, it is shown how the central administration prevents new innovative ownership models from entering the tender. A strong path dependency has led to a conscious or unconscious elimination of projects based on organizational structures that do not fit the definition of large energy companies. As a result of this, the paper makes three recommendations for policy changes with the aim to secure equal possibilities for actors involved in nearshore wind power tenders.