Beyond Localism: The Spatial Scale and Scaling in Energy Transitions

Späth, Philipp; Rohracher, Harald

doi:10.1002/9781118567135.ch7

Cited by 40 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…[10][11][12][13][14][15]). Due to political, social and technical linkages in the field of renewable energy interactions over different scales are particularly relevant [16][17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local power: exploring the motivations of mayors and key success factors for local municipalities to go 100% renewable energy

Busch

McCormick

2014

Energ Sustain Soc

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Background: This paper investigates the decision-making processes of mayors on the municipal level in Brandenburg, Germany, to support 100% renewable energy policies as well as the respective key success factors. Three different cases and their specific settings are examined: (1) Turnow-Preilack with Germany's largest solar power plant, (2) Prenzlau, a town claiming the title 'City of Renewable Energy' and (3) the village of Feldheim, the first energy independent settlement in Germany. Methods: On the basis of exploratory site visits and interviews, the process of implementation of renewable energy is investigated. The methodology developed here is based on the 'theory of planned behaviour' which helps to visualise the individual decision-making processes of key actors. Results: Not surprisingly, many different factors influence the investigated cases. The decision-making processes must be investigated in their context that is shaped by the attitudes of mayors, the expectation of how their actions will be perceived, and the control mayors estimate to have over projects. Conclusion: The identified factors point at the key finding that the mayors first and foremost think about the 'good of their municipality'. This does not necessarily refer to economic factors but can encompass aspects such as 'strengthening community life'. More abstract factors such as climate change or contributing to the transition of the national power supply play -if at all -a minor role. Policies that aim at supporting energy transitions in similar settings should therefore shift their focus from communicating climate change mitigation to the co-benefits that ambitious renewable energy policies can bring to a community.

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“…[10][11][12][13][14][15]). Due to political, social and technical linkages in the field of renewable energy interactions over different scales are particularly relevant [16][17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local power: exploring the motivations of mayors and key success factors for local municipalities to go 100% renewable energy

Busch

McCormick

2014

Energ Sustain Soc

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“…Späth and Rohracher (2014) identified a pervasive 'methodological nationalism' in studies of socio-technical transitions and analyses of energy policy have a similar national emphasis (e.g. Helm 2003).…”

Section: Energy Transition and Re-scaling The Statementioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are analytical advantages to seeing energy regimes less monolithically, as constituted by interests, institutions and infrastructures that vary in their spatial reach and effect, which are beginning to be exploited by researchers (Späth and Rohracher 2014;Coenen et al 2012 (Gibbs and Lintz 2016;Smith 2007). Fewer researchers have considered how wider infrastructural, hierarchical or market systems frame the scope for sub-national action, and the extent to which sub-national action serves to maintain or challenge those framing conditions.…”

Section: Energy Transition and Re-scaling The Statementioning

confidence: 99%

Sub-national government and pathways to sustainable energy

Cowell

Ellis

Sherry-Brennan

et al. 2017

Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space

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In an effort to understand how to promote more sustainable forms of energy provision, researchers have begun addressing the scale of political and governance processes, yet the effects of sub-national government remain neglected. At the same time, analysts of political devolution, decentralisation and independence have rarely given attention to the energy sector. Papers in this special issue seek to better understand the relationship between sub-national government and pathways to sustainable energy: examining how city-regional and devolved governments have shaped agendas for building retrofit; elucidating the importance of decentralised governance in knitting together electricity, heat and transport energy markets; mapping the complex, fuzzy spatial organisation of legal powers to direct energy policy across multi-level polities; and analysing conflicts over the allocation of energy infrastructure consenting powers between national and devolved governments. The papers highlight the interdependencies of action in different governmental arenas, and reinforce arguments for greater central-to-local reflexivity in governance styles. Analysing the interface between sub-national government and energy transition also raises new questions about the meaning of ‘sovereignty’, the fragmentary nature of democratic control over energy systems, and the effects of boundaries.

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“…The 'methodological nationalism' of much transitions literature, in which the nation state was adopted, uncritically as the main analytical unit, has been challenged Truffer and Coenen;2012;Späth and Rohracher, 2013). Researchers have explored the interface between energy, transitions, space and scale with contributions from within transitions theory and economic geography (Hansen and Coenen 2015;Murphy 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%