Andy Stirling, co-director of the STEPS Centre, talks about the Centre's appproach to sustainable energy for development issues at the Low Carbon Energy for Development Network's second international conference at the University of Sussex, September 2012
Micro-Scholarship, What it is, How can it help me.pdf
Andy Stirling: Pathways to Sustainable Energy:issues of power, diversity and transformation
1. Pathways to Sustainable Energy:
issues of power, diversity and transformation
presentation to conference of Low Carbon Energy for Development Network
on 'Transitions to low carbon energy systems: which pathways to energy access for all?',
University of Sussex, 10th September 2012
Andy Stirling
SPRU & STEPS Centre
2. One-Track, Hard-Wired Innovation
“you can’t stop progress” …
- The Economist
PROGRESS
“we'll restore science to its rightful place”…
` - President Obama
“Our hope … relies on scientific and
technological progress” - Premier Wen Jiabao
“One can not impede scientific progress.”
- President Ahmadinejad
TECHNOLOGY
all innovation is progress…
Lisbon Strategy for: “pro-innovation action”
- EU Council of Ministers
“we need more pro-innovation policies”
- PM Gordon Brown
“… the Government’s strategy is …
pro-innovation” - PM David Cameron
3. One-Track, Hard-Wired Innovation
PROGRESS
TECHNOLOGY
Lord Alec Broers, President, RAEng The challenge of government:
…“history is a race to “to strive to stay
advance technology” in the race”…
Technology: The role of the public:
“will determine the future “to give technology
of the human race’” the status it deserves”…
4. Conventional Technology Policy
PROGRESS
TECHNOLOGY
Treats innovation as homogeneous: no distinctions … no
alternatives… no politics … no choice
!
5. Conventional Technology Policy
PROGRESS
TECHNOLOGY
Treats innovation as homogeneous: no distinctions … no alternatives …
no politics … no choice !
Scope for debate restricted to: yes or no? … how much?
how fast? … who leads?
6. Conventional Technology Policy
PROGRESS
TECHNOLOGY
Treats innovation as homogeneous: no distinctions … no alternatives …
no politics … no choice !
Scope for debate restricted to: yes or no? … how much?
how fast?’ … who leads?
Seriously neglects questions over: which way? …what alternatives?
says who? …why?
14. A ‘STEPS view’
stylised representation material and social realities
‘sustainability’
‘energy system’
‘system’
‘effect’
‘cause’
15. A ‘STEPS view’
reflexive framing stylised representation material and social realities
‘sustainability’
environment
‘energy system’
‘system’
‘effect’
local people ‘cause’
16. A ‘STEPS view’
plural intentions diverse pictures material and social realities
‘sustainability’
environment
‘energy system’
‘system’
‘effect’
nt
rnme ‘cause’
gove
local people
17. A ‘STEPS view’
plural intentions diverse pictures material and social realities
‘sustainability’
c
emi ‘energy system’
ad
ac
‘system’
‘effect’
nt
rnme ‘cause’
gove
local people
18. A ‘STEPS view’
plural intentions diverse pictures material and social realities
ess ‘sustainability’
environment
s in
bu
c
mi
de ‘system’
aca
“SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PATHWAY”
‘cause’
nt
rnme ‘effect’
gove
local people
time
19. A ‘STEPS view’
CONTEXTS interacting processes
subjects and objects
social and physical
agencies and structures
discourses
expectations
imaginations
values
intentions
“SUSTAINABLE ‘system’
ENERGY PATHWAY”
material world
institutions practices interests
technologies
ecologies
power relations
a self-reinforcing
trajectory of change
time
24. Ambiguous Sustainability
an indicative STEPS approach… (MCM, deliberation,Q- / ethno-methods)
deliberate reasons
coal - scenarios
oil - values
- uncertaiinties
gas - winners / losers
- assumptions
nuclear
- expectations
hydro - irreversibilities
…etc
wind
solar
biomass
‘plural and conditional’ exploration of framings
low SUSTAINABILITY high NGO industry academic
25. Ambiguous Sustainability
an indicative STEPS approach… (MCM, deliberation,Q- / ethno-methods)
deliberate reasons
coal - scenarios
oil - values
- uncertaiinties
gas - winners / losers
- assumptions
nuclear
- expectations
hydro - irreversibilities
…etc
wind
solar
biomass
‘plural and conditional’ exploration of framings
low SUSTAINABILITY high N i academic
26. Direction, Distribution
… and Diversity…
Focus directly on diversity in ‘social innovation’ for sustainable energy
offshore wave
large tidal barrage marine / hydro renewables
tidal stream
shoreline wave
hydro
offshore wind
geothermal
solar PV
terrestrial wind (micro) non-combustion renewables
terrestrial wind (large)
nuclear nuclear
municipal waste
landfill gas
coal + CCS
coal combustion renewables and
biomass regional fossil fuels
gas CCGT + CCS - Norway
gas CCGT + CCS - UKCS
gas CCGT - Norway
gas CCGT – UKCS
oil
gas CCGT – LNG fossil fuels with carbon capture
gas CCGT – continental
d
27. Direction, Distribution
… and Diversity…
Focus directly on diversity in ‘social innovation’ for sustainable energy
offshore wave
large tidal barrage marine / hydro renewables
tidal stream
shoreline wave
hydro
offshore wind
geothermal
solar PV non-combustion
terrestrial wind (micro) renewables
terrestrial wind (large)
nuclear nuclear
municipal waste
landfill gas
coal + CCS
coal combustion renewables
biomass and regional fossil fuels
gas CCGT + CCS - Norway
gas CCGT + CCS - UKCS
gas CCGT - Norway
gas CCGT – UKCS
oil
gas CCGT – LNG fossil fuels with carbon capture
gas CCGT – continental
d
28. Direction, Distribution
… and Diversity…
Spaces and tools for analysing and deliberating the “3Ds”
29. ‘Closing Down’ ‘Sustainable Transitions’
privileged
POSSIBLE power reinforces
visions pressures for ‘lock-in’ innovation union
PATHWAYS
knowledge economy
multiple feasible
Innovation trajectories IIIIII
€
$
power ‘closes down’
power ‘narrows in’ expert outputs to policy
inputs to appraisal analysis
institutionalised pressures for justification
presumed visions
force unitary ‘‘expert’
Options
technical risk
narrow perspectives assessment prescriptions
aggregated attention
single ‘best’ / ‘optimal’ /
regulatory capture Sustainability most ‘legitimate’
technocratic procedures decisions / transitions
30. ‘Opening Up’ Democratic Transformations:
plural energy sustainabilities
POSSIBLE
diverse diversity in technology knowledge
portfolios innovation union
PATHWAYS
pathways democracy
knowledge economy
IIIIII
IIIIII
help catalyse:
$
$
democratic accountability
context sensitivity
social robustness
broad-based ‘opening up’ politics of
evidence as choice choice
expert sustainable energy
discourse
analysis
inclusive participation ‘transition’ depends on:
broad transdisciplinary contexts, perspectives,
Options
notions of sustainability sensitivities, scenarios,
- ‘plural and conditional’
multiple priorities
public policy advice
uncertainties Sustainability
diverse possible pathways