From exports to exercise: How non-energy policies affect energy systems

Abstract

Because of existing policy silos, energy policy tends to be addressed from a narrowly energy-centric basis; yet energy systems are clearly also affected by a wide range of policies emanating from other sectors. This article explores the impacts of policies associated with various 'non-energy sectors' on energy supply and demand, using a systematic and wide-ranging review of academic, policy and grey literatures. We discuss six policy sectors where these impacts are, in our assessment, not sufficiently recognised by policymakers or researchers but have significant energy implications. Overall, we find that there is little acknowledgement or analysis of this issue, especially of the full causal chain from 'non-energy policies' through to energy system impacts; for whatever reason, consideration of the reverse links (e.g. of the health impacts of energy policies) is far more common. The upshot is that non-energy policy impacts on energy systems are not sufficiently visible within either research or policy. We argue that this serves as a barrier to change, and that increasing the visibility of these complex and multi-faceted connections is thus a vital task for researchers and policymakers alike.

But They Told Us It Was Safe! Carbon Dioxide Removal, Fracking, and Ripple Effects in Risk Perceptions

“…Very few empirical papers on social amplification of risk explore ripple effects to other technologies, yet this will be important if our interconnected energy and climate systems are to be transformed in a sustainable way and underlines the importance of taking a whole systems view when assessing the risks and benefits of technologies and policies. Energy policy making in particular is frequently siloed, yet all policy making should assume that action regarding one technology will impact others (Cox, Royston, & Selby, 2019). A lack of social license to operate was instrumental in causing severe delays, cost overruns, and eventually a moratorium for the U.K. fracking industry, hence policy should be extremely wary of similar effects extending to other technologies.…”

Analysis of Factors that Interfere with the Regulatory Energy Process with Emphasis on the Energy Cloud

“…Energy systems are not only impacted by energy-focused policies but are shaped by a wide range of other policies, being affected by a wide range of policies coming from other sectors (Cox et al, 2019). As examples of external policies that influence energy policies can be cited internet technologies, such as information and communication technologies (ICT) that are drivers of increased electricity demand, also the increased electricity load from computers, mainly for cooling servers and at peak times of ICT use (Cox et al, 2019). Here also the CSFs "6.2 Adequate information about support" and "6.3 External non-energy policies."…”

“…Therefore, there is a debate about the impact of policies supporting investment in renewable energy capacities (Bento et al, 2020). Then, it is important to identify negative policy interactions and look for opportunities to resolve or mitigate them, through a critical assessment of the limits that exist in governance processes and structures (Cox et al, 2019).…”

Practice and Energy Demand

“…The fundamental contention of the invisible energy policy literature is that when focus is brought onto practices and what energy is for, it becomes possible to see how multiple areas of policy far beyond energy have implications for shaping, shifting, and instituting demand (e.g. Butler et al, 2018;Cox et al, 2019;Royston et al, 2018). Although the role of policy in constituting needs for energy has been identified within several practice-inspired studies of energy demand, this had not previously formed an explicit focus of analysis.…”

“…The wider influence on energy demand of policies from areas as diverse as health, work, education, and housing is identifiable but very rarely is this at the fore. This emerging body of work seeks to address this gap by bringing focus on key areas of policy that, while identifiable as having important implications for energy demand, have yet to receive sufficient attention (Cox et al, 2019). The work in this space has set out some key tenets around which a research agenda has begun to be formulated.…”