Explaining the role of incumbent utilities in sustainable energy transitions: A case study of the smart grid development in China

Mah, Daphne Ngar‐yin; Wu, Yun Ying; Hills, Peter

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2017.06.059

Cited by 53 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These capabilities and assets, e.g. the distribution grid and its operation, may be deployed to efficiently manage and execute the energy transition in a way that reaches the ambitious emission targets that have been set to prevent catastrophic consequences of climate change (Ngar-yin Mah et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaders or laggards? The evolution of electric utilities’ business portfolios during the energy transition

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Effectively mitigating climate change requires a fundamental and rapid transition in the way electricity is generated and used. The global electricity sector, however, is still dominated by large incumbent utility companies, which have historically been slow to embrace change. Given this seeming contradiction, in this paper we investigate whether and how 25 of the biggest electric utilities worldwide have adapted their business portfolios during the energy transition from 2003 to 2015. We observe three developments in utilities' business portfolios, namely an increase in (1) de-carbonization, (2) decentralization and servitization, and (3) system integration and balancing. Our results indicate that utilities have been more proactive in embracing de-carbonization as the core goal of the energy transition than the two successive challenges of decentralization and system integration. The lag in system integration is surprising, given that utilities traditionally possess considerable knowledge and assets that they could leverage to integrate decentralized low-carbon generation. We conclude that utilities can play a major role in integrating and balancing the components of a lowcarbon electricity system, but that regulatory changes or additional policy incentives may be necessary to spur system integration as a critical part of the energy transition.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaders or laggards? The evolution of electric utilities’ business portfolios during the energy transition

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Public distrust of the market regulators and operators of the power sector in Japan has been well documented, particularly after the Fukushima nuclear accident (Fam et al, 2014;Kingston, 2013). In contrast, it has been documented that Chinese electricity consumers are generally less skeptical about state-owned grid companies (Mah et al, 2017). It was found that the trust relationships between grid companies and household end-users in China can at least partly explain the relatively rapid deployment of smart meters in the country.…”

Section: National Level Cultural Differences May Explain Heterogeneitmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…On the other hand, they differ in their approaches to deploying SGs. Japan's community-oriented approach and China's vision for super-grids demonstrate different development pathways for SGs (Mah et al, 2013(Mah et al, , 2017. In addition, there has recently been some transposition of deliberative participation from the West to Asia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding undergraduate students’ perceptions of dynamic pricing policies: An exploratory study of two pilot deliberative pollings (DPs) in Guangzhou, China and Kyoto, Japan

Mah

Lam

Siu

et al. 2018

Journal of Cleaner Production

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Smart grids (SGs) are being deployed as a transformational technology in energy transitions. However, negative consumer responses to both smart meters and new pricing systems indicate that building public acceptance of these transitions is critically important. Deliberative Pollings (DPs) offer the potential to effectively integrate public perceptions into energy transition decision-making. Most deliberative governance studies focus on western countries and very few examine the Asian context. This paper presents an exploratory study of undergraduate students' perceptions of dynamic pricing options in two pilot DPs conducted in the cities of Guangzhou and Kyoto. The study indicates that deliberative processes yield mixed outcomes in changing participants' choice of pricing options. While many welcomed new pricing options, a significant number supported status quo options. Second, the normative mechanisms and outcomes of deliberative participation seem to apply in the Asian context. DP appears to enhance participants' acceptance of complex and sophisticated pricing options. Dialogic processes enhanced the participants' ability to understand complex issues and weigh up trade-offs when comparing options. Third, national level contextual differences associated with public distrust and familiarity with market logic may explain the differences in responses between Chinese and Japanese participants. We argue that complex and controversial energy decision-making needs to be supported by deliberative participatory processes to enable citizens to make informed and considered choices.

show abstract

“…However, they also found that while the current smart grid designs contribute to cost and energy savings, advance a more equitable and democratic energy system, they may also reinforce distributive and procedural injustices. While investigating stakeholder relationships by examining the role of incumbent utilities for sustainable energy transitions through the use of smart grid in China, Ngar-yin Mah et al [54] found that China has developed an incumbent-led model for deploying smart grids; also, the major-stateowned grid companies, act as enablers of smart grid deployments; and nally, the two main grid companies also act as a fundamental block to structural changes in socio-technical regimes. Hence, issues identi ed from previous research efforts into the deployment of smart grids, it is imperative that conscious efforts be made by relevant stakeholders in ensuring that deployment pitfalls are avoided if the full bene ts of smart grids would be harnessed for successful sustainable energy transitions particularly across sub-Saharan Africa.…”

Section: Smart Grid Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digitalisation of Energy Systems within the Context of Existing Policy Frameworks: An Assessment of Sustainable Energy Transitions in Africa

Nwaiwu

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundDigital technologies have unique characteristics for achieving radically disruptive transitions within the energy sector. They provide opportunities for new production and consumption models between micro producers and consumers of electricity within communities in a way that transforms the traditional energy generation and consumption model. The study critically assessed the digitalisation of energy systems in Africa within the context of existing policy frameworks in the quest to achieve sustainable energy transitions in Africa. It investigated how digital technologies such as blockchain, digital platforms and smart grids were adopted and implemented within the energy sector in achieving new energy production and consumption models that are both environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive, this assessment was done within the context of existing policy and regulatory frameworks of the society where the use cases were domiciled. MethodsThe research adopted a qualitative methodological approach which was done in three stages - a document analysis that reviewed relevant literature on the energy sector and policies within the sector for Nigeria and South Africa; the next step involved a comparative case study is conducted to assess the characteristics of how digital technologies was deployed in mediating sustainable energy transitions; finally, the outcomes of the comparative case studies was then situated within the context of existing policies within the countries covered by the study ResultsResults from the research indicate that Africa is still in the early stages of adoption and application of digital technologies such as blockchain and smart grids within the energy sector, the results also showed the disconnect between policy environment and industry efforts in achieving digital technologies mediated sustainable energy transitions in Africa. The current applications as exemplified in the use cases by the three companies covered in this study indicates that Africa's sustainable energy transitions is in a rudimentary or early adoption stage, and they are not currently aided by the policy environments in which such projects are domiciled.ConclusionsThe research provides deep insights into the current state and developments within the energy sector especially in relations to how digital technologies are being adopted and implemented in solving the energy poverty prevalent across sub-Saharan Africa.

show abstract

Explaining the role of incumbent utilities in sustainable energy transitions: A case study of the smart grid development in China

Cited by 53 publications

References 47 publications

Leaders or laggards? The evolution of electric utilities’ business portfolios during the energy transition

Leaders or laggards? The evolution of electric utilities’ business portfolios during the energy transition

Understanding undergraduate students’ perceptions of dynamic pricing policies: An exploratory study of two pilot deliberative pollings (DPs) in Guangzhou, China and Kyoto, Japan

Digitalisation of Energy Systems within the Context of Existing Policy Frameworks: An Assessment of Sustainable Energy Transitions in Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About