This paper is certainly a loaded one; published just two months ago, it discusses the different sociocultural aspects inherent within the so-called "energy transition", or the shift of the traditional "fossil-fuel burning centralized plants" model towards deregulation and renewable energy, emphasizing that an interconnectedness between energy suppliers could prove useful to consumers. It discusses the "increasing interdependencies" between energy markets, and how they could implement fundamentals of "good regulation" in the wake of the energy transition. To better illustrate these points, they examine the Dutch heat market as a case study - they recently implemented climate policy that's set to transition their own energy infrastructure by 2022. By using the Netherlands as a catalyst, the authors frame a larger discussion regarding approaches towards infrastructure-rewriting, good energy regulation, community-energy engagement, and energy justice throughout the EU.
They found that, in specifically the Netherlands, there are many benefits to other sociological aspects of the energy transition aside from the technological determinism that could typically be seen as an energy argument. Increased citizen participation, for one, allows for consumers to recognize and combat against the long-standing natural monopolies being perpetuated by the existing heat networks. Similarly, a flexible organization of energy systems and the tenets of "good market regulation" can be used to provide a framework for assessing the interdependencies and weaknesses of existing infrastructure. The authors stress, though, that there needs to be an accountability and urgency towards policy change in order to drive these market alterations and "future-proof" the energy industry.
Blanka Vitez and Saskia Lavrijssen, "The Energy Transition: Democracy, Justice and Good Regulation of the Heat Market", contributed by Cam LaPorte, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 5 May 2020, accessed 23 April 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/energy-transition-democracy-justice-and-good-regulation-heat-market
Critical Commentary
This paper is certainly a loaded one; published just two months ago, it discusses the different sociocultural aspects inherent within the so-called "energy transition", or the shift of the traditional "fossil-fuel burning centralized plants" model towards deregulation and renewable energy, emphasizing that an interconnectedness between energy suppliers could prove useful to consumers. It discusses the "increasing interdependencies" between energy markets, and how they could implement fundamentals of "good regulation" in the wake of the energy transition. To better illustrate these points, they examine the Dutch heat market as a case study - they recently implemented climate policy that's set to transition their own energy infrastructure by 2022. By using the Netherlands as a catalyst, the authors frame a larger discussion regarding approaches towards infrastructure-rewriting, good energy regulation, community-energy engagement, and energy justice throughout the EU.
They found that, in specifically the Netherlands, there are many benefits to other sociological aspects of the energy transition aside from the technological determinism that could typically be seen as an energy argument. Increased citizen participation, for one, allows for consumers to recognize and combat against the long-standing natural monopolies being perpetuated by the existing heat networks. Similarly, a flexible organization of energy systems and the tenets of "good market regulation" can be used to provide a framework for assessing the interdependencies and weaknesses of existing infrastructure. The authors stress, though, that there needs to be an accountability and urgency towards policy change in order to drive these market alterations and "future-proof" the energy industry.