Experimenting for change? : The politics of accomplishing environmental governance through smart energy pilot projects

Abstract

This thesis investigates how smart energy experimentation arranges environmental governance in Sweden, focusing on the politics of such processes, against the background of an escalating environmental and climate crisis that necessitates urgent energy transformation. Empirically the thesis includes case studies of pilot projects in Stockholm, Malmö, Västerås, and on Gotland, and analysis of the policy landscape, mainly through text analysis and interviews. Theoretically the study takes a critical approach based on a Foucauldian understanding of governance. Concepts are derived from "governmentality studies" and science and technology studies. This approach aims to unpack experimentation as governance arrangement through asking questions about how governance is arranged beyond singular experiments, such as ideas and practices of achieving broader change beyond isolated experiments.

Technopolitics of future-making: The ambiguous role of energy communities in shaping energy system change

“…The interviewee stated that it might be unlikely that "someone would bother to create such a specific organization", rather proposing virtual power plantsdigitally pooling renewable electricity production and trading it in the marketas a probable technical setup. This seems in line with the dominant imaginary of Sweden's energy future, favouring solutions more easily adaptable to the contemporary grid infrastructure and energy market setup (Envall, 2021;Wallsten and Parks, 2020). Another interviewee described how it was concluded in internal discussions initiated after receiving many questions related to virtual energy communities that there are no legal barriers for virtual energy sharing (Interview Ei2).…”

“…At the same time, Sweden portrays itself as a green frontrunner with high esteem for citizen participation, as has been emphasised, e.g. in relation to smart energy experimentation (Envall, 2021). These contradictions make Sweden a compelling country to study the new move to a legal implementation of energy communities, since the weak tradition and lack of support for energy communities give rise to tensions when mandated by the EU to legally implement and support energy communities – underlining how struggles linked to different kinds of energy futures unfold in relation to energy communities.…”

Situated dynamics of environmental governance in Swedish smart energy experimentation: Tentativeness, demonstration, upscaling

“…Electricity generation primarily stems from large-scale nuclear power, hydropower, wind power, and combined heat and power, transferred from generation plants to energy users through large-scale grid infrastructure. Since the marketization, neoliberal governance arrangements have become increasingly pervasive across energy policy; the state has taken on a rather passive role, preferring to emphasize innovation by energy entrepreneurs and customers reacting to price signals to achieve the sought-after green growth (Envall 2021;Wallsten 2017).…”

“…Many pilot projects on so-called smart energy – interlacing energy systems with ICT – are currently unfolding across the globe, with environmental ambitions as primary hallmark. In Sweden – a nation which has historically labeled itself a green frontrunner – smart energy has become intimately interconnected with environmental ambitions, and governmental effort has been devoted to foster smart energy experimentation (Envall 2021). Scholarly attention dedicated to experimentation in relation to environmental governance and energy transformation has mostly been concerned either with how experimentation reconfigures environmental governance through the prism of case studies of singular experiments (e.g.…”

A situated governmentality approach to energy transitions: technologies of power in German and Indian smart grid strategies

“…For the future of energy distribution systems worldwide, scholars have highlighted a remarkably unanimous consensus among policymakers and technology developers: the future energy grid must be smart (Quitzow and Rohde, 2021;Skjølsvold et al, 2015). Smart grids are considered not only a promising path towards low-carbon transition, but also capable of increasing economic prosperity and attracting wellpaying jobs (Envall, 2021;Quitzow, 2022). Furthermore, against increasing geopolitical instability, the ongoing liberalization of energy markets, and climate change, smart grids appear as a universal tool capable of addressing numerous social and technical challenges of our times.…”