The role of politics in sustainable transitions: The rise and decline of offshore wind in Norway

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThis paper studies how political conditions and external events influenced the rise and fall of offshore wind on the political agenda in Norway between 2005 and 2012. In this sense, the paper contributes to recent debates about the role of politics in sustainable transitions. Key findings are that changes in government posts combined with a need for the offshore petroleum industry to diversify created favourable conditions for offshore wind. However, offshore wind as a solution to articulated problems was insufficiently developed when the window of opportunity opened up. The analysis then shows how a recovery in the offshore petroleum industry and new changes inside government closed the window of opportunity. The paper concludes that we should attend more to the interests of government actors, and conflicts inside government, in the analysis of energy transitions.

Incumbents’ diversification and cross-sectorial energy industry dynamics

“…Although some incumbents appear to enter niches in their very early phases of development, perceptions of growth beyond an early formative phase and sustained future market demand for new (green) technologies must exist for most incumbents to pursue them. Notably, the lack of stable institutional environments to facilitate investment and growth in new RE sectors provides some of the explanation why incumbents from O&G and hydropower have been cautious in diversifying into these sectors, and more generally also explains why new energy sector deployment has been lagging in Norway (Hansen, 2013, Normann, 2015, despite the fact that the industries are developing. In addition, our empirical results show that 'growth in main sector' was an important reason why incumbents cancelled niche activities, reflecting path-dependent commitment to core activities.…”

Offshore oil and gas firms’ involvement in offshore wind: Technological frames and undercurrents

“…Our sampling procedure was purposeful and illustrative rather than representative. That is, we chose firms that we anticipated would contribute different perspectives on a set of key features (Neuman, 2007).…”

“…The relationship between O&G and offshore wind provides an interesting example of regime-niche interaction, as there is a collective expectation that the offshore O&G sector can make substantial contribution to offshore wind in terms of technological variety, organizational capabilities and industrial and financial capacity (EWEA, 2013). Approximately 150-200 Norwegian companies are involved in the offshore wind industry to some extent (Multiconsult, 2012), of which the majority have diversified from the offshore O&G sector (Hansen and Steen, 2011). Because Norway neither has a domestic offshore wind market, nor clear ambitions to develop one in the short-term future (Normann, 2014), Norwegian firms' business activities are oriented mainly towards nearby offshore wind markets such as the UK, Germany, and Denmark.…”

Comparing Nuclear Power Trajectories in Germany and the UK: From 'Regimes' to 'Democracies' in Sociotechnical Transitions and Discontinuities

“…In this sense, some of what are referred to here as 'external' factors are increasingly well addressed in the recent 'political turn' in sustainability transitions studies (Coenen, Benneworth, & Truffer, 2012;Geels, 2014; 8 Kern, 2012;Lockwood, 2014b;Meadowcroft, 2009;Normann, 2014). This involves attention extending away from narrower policy aspects alone, to also encompass wider political dimensions of regime dynamics and the actions of incumbents and new entrants (Baker, Newell, &Phillips, 2014;Geels, 2014;Hess, 2014;Meadowcroft, 2009;Smink, Hekkert, & Negro, 2013;Stirling, 2014a).…”