Grosse Stadtwerke - theoretische und empirische Exploration eines besonderen Akteurs in der Energiewende Deutschlands und der Schweiz

Grosse Stadtwerke sind in Deutschland und der Schweiz fester Bestandteil der Akteurslandschaft des Energiesektors. Durch die föderal-subsidiäre Organisation der Energiesektoren dieser beiden Länder kommen ihnen systemrelevante Aufgaben wie das Management von Verteilnetzen oder die Sicherstellung der Daseinsvorsorge für «ihre Stadt» zu. Im öffentlichen und wissenschaftlichen Dis-kurs zur Rolle verschiedener Akteursgruppen im Kontext der Energiewende wird ihnen jedoch bis-her wenig Beachtung geschenkt. Ziel dieses Beitrages ist es daher die Spezifika des Akteurstypos „grosse Stadtwerke“ theoriegeleitet herauszuarbeiten und die aktuelle Situation der Stadtwerke – ihre Herausforderungen und strategischen Antworten – auf Basis empirischer Evidenz aus Deutsch-land und der Schweiz darzustellen. Methodisch basiert dieser Beitrag auf einer explorativ-qualitativen Studie, die Ergebnisse aus Literaturanalyse, Dokumentenanalyse, 38 Experteninter-views aus beiden Ländern (2017) und zwei in der Schweiz durchgeführten Expertenworkshops (2018) zusammenführt. Die Studie zeigt, dass die Spezifika grosser Stadtwerke auf Basis der Public Corporate Governance Literatur und Arbeiten zu Network Industries erklärt werden können. Dar-aus können auch ihre besonderen Herausforderungen, wie z.B. das Spannungsfeld zwischen öf-fentlichem Interesse und Marktfähigkeit, das multidimensionale Verhältnis zwischen Eigentümer und Unternehmen oder die Eigengesetzlichkeit von Netzwerkindustrien abgeleitet werden. Im Rahmen dieser Studie zeigt sich, dass die Rolle der grossen Stadtwerke für die Energiewende weder als «Innovator», noch als «Hinderer» bezeichnen lässt, sondern vielmehr als «intelligent follower» und «Ingenieur der Energiewende»

“A particular species” urban utility companies in Germany and Switzerland

This article presents the characteristics of urban utility companies in Germany and Switzerland and examines their challenges and strategic actions in the context of energy transition. In so doing, it explores a particular actor type in a communal infrastructure service organisation

Resilience and agency in mature sustainability transitions. Theoretical conceptualisation and empirical analysis of actor- & system-level dynamics in sociotechnical energy systems

In Switzerland, Germany and Austria, as in many European countries, the transition of the energy sector towards more sustainability is a long-term transition process, unfolding since decades. It however only reached the regime level in recent years and therewith the established technologies and governance structures of the energy systems. This fundamental transition process causes complex, interrelated and non-linear dynamics and changes on multiple scales in the technical and social sphere of the energy systems. The energy transition, thus, became a mature sustainability transition, which is a new challenge for research and decision-making in practice. This dissertation contributes to an improved conceptual and empirical understanding of actor- and system-level structures and dynamics in mature sustainability transitions. To tackle this research aim, the dissertation employed an iterative theory building process, which develops theoretical considerations based on preexisting theories and frameworks as well as empirical evidence. The empirical analyses were thereby conducted using a mixed methods approach, which allowed for rich empirical evidence and triangulation. The research was implemented in four modules, whereby each module tackled one research question. Main data sources were scholarly literature, regional structural data and documents as well as transcripts from several rounds of semi-structured expert interviews and expert workshops. The empirical data stemmed from three cases: energy regions in Austria and Germany, a network of change agents in Germany and urban utility companies in Germany and Switzerland. The main analytical methods, employed in this dissertation were qualitative literature analysis, document analysis and structuring qualitative content analysis. For the analysis of system structure for functionality and transition dynamics, this dissertation presents an indicator set to analyse and measure resilience of sociotechnical energy systems in transition, based on the key system characteristics of diversity and connectivity. The empirical application provided rich insights on the sociotechnical system structure and its changes over time and discusses appropriate methods for the empirical analysis. For the analysis of transition dynamics, this dissertation provides a reconceptualised framework for the systematic analysis of actor- and system-level determinants of agency as well as the feedback of agency on the system. Especially focusing on the role of incumbents in mature sustainability transitions, the dissertation moreover provides findings from the empirical exploration of urban utility companies and derived analytical perspectives for public incumbent actors in network industries in transition. The dissertation finally discusses the integrability of conceptual findings to transition studies and presents an integrated framework to analyse structures and dynamics in mature sustainability transitions. The thesis provided key theoretical and empirical insights on actor- and system-level aspects of mature sustainability transitions in sociotechnical energy systems. It contributed to a further discussion on dynamic resilience concepts for sociotechnical energy systems, a more systematic analysis of agency in sustainability transitions and a more nuanced picture of incumbents' agency in sociotechnical energy systems in mature sustainability transitions

Conceptualising urban energy supply systems as socio-technical ecological systems in transition

The analysis of energy system transitions is mainly affected by a socio-technical system (STS) understanding, focussing on the co-evolvement of societal and technical changes. However, energy systems are highly dependent on and characterised by ecological ressources, which are not explicitely considered in the STS approaches. Concept: 1. Integration of the multi-level-perspective (MLP) (Geels 2002) as an analytical approach on STS and the socio-ecological systems framework (SESF) (Ostrom 2009). 2. Conceptualisation of energy systems as integrated socio-ecological technical systems in transition towards sustainability - considering technical & ecological aspects. Expected outcomes: - The STS & the SES perspective share a similar understanding on the consitution of a system through the interaction of system artefacts, rules & the actors (SRA). - The MLP contributes the technical system aspects, the dynamic transition perspective and has frequently been applied to energy systems in transition. - The SESF delivers the ecological system aspects, the preservation of system functionality and an inidcatorset for empirical analysis. - The integration of the MLP and the SESF provides the basis for the conceptualisation of energy systems as SETS based on the interaction of SRA. - The conceptualisation allows for the analysis of the role of actors for systemic transitions considering technical and ecological aspects

Und Aktion! Konzeptualisierung der Rolle individuellen Akteurshandelns in sozio-technischen Transitionen am Beispiel der regionalen Energiewende im bayerischen Allg\xe4u', u'And Action! \u2013 Role of Individual Agency in Socio-Technical Transitions \u2013 the Example of a Regional Energy Transition in the Allgäu Region, Bavaria']

Die deutsche Energiewende gilt als einer der herausforderndsten gesamtgesellschaftlichen Veränderungsprozesse unserer Zeit. Sie zieht einen grundlegenden politischen und ökonomischen Wandel in Deutschland und ganz Europa nach sich. Die fundamentalen Veränderungen, die in Folge der Energiewende stattfinden, sind besonders für Wissenschaftler im Bereich der Forschung zu Nachhaltigkeitstransitionen von Interesse. Die Forschung in diesem Bereich berücksichtigt jedoch bisher die Rolle des individuellen Akteurshandelns für systemische Transitionen noch viel zu wenig. Was treibt Akteure an, die maßgeblich zum Fortschritt der Energiewende in der Region beigetragen haben? Welche Strategien und Aktionsformen wählen sie um die Transition voranzutreiben, wie hängen diese Strategien und Aktionsformen vom sozialen und technischen Umfeld ab, das sie umgibt und wie reagiert dieses Umfeld auf das Handeln der Change Agents? Zur Untersuchung dieser Fragen wenden wir das Human-Environment Systems (HES) Framework (Scholz, 2011) erstmals auf sozio-technische Systeme an. Auf Basis einer exemplarischen Untersuchung des Fallbeispiels der regionalen Energiewende im bayerischen Allgäu schlagen wir eine Anpassung des HES Frameworks für sozio-technische Energiesysteme vor. Abschließend reflektieren wir, welchen Beitrag das adaptierte HES Framework zur Konzeptualisierung und einem besseren Verständnis von individuellem Akteurshandeln im Kontext sozio-technischer Transitionen leisten kann

“It’s an Endurance Race” An Indicator-Based Resilience Analysis of the Energy Transition in the Allgäu Region, Bavaria

The energy transition currently taking place in Germany is recognised as being one of the most ambitious socio-technical transitions at the present time. Scholars have so far mostly studied the resilience of the current or future state of the energy system. They have neglected to analyse the resilience of the transition process itself. We present an interdisciplinary way of analysing the resilience of the energy transition operationalised as a socio-technical transition, using an indicator set for diversity and connectivity. For the case of the Allgäu region in the state of Bavaria, we measured these indicators in a semi-quantitative way, and found that the diversity indicators point to a resilient transition process. The connectivity indicators, however, show that the region is in a state such that the transition could stagnate. For the future of this transition process, connectivity should thus be increased, for example, by involving the tourism sector in the actor network. Our research confirms the need for an interdisciplinary analysis of the resilience of an energy transition

An Indicator-Based Approach for Analyzing the Resilience of Transitions for Energy Regions. Part I: Theoretical and Conceptual Considerations

The transition of our current energy system from a fossil-based system to a system based on renewables is likely to be one of the most complex and long-term societal transitions in history. The need for a fundamental system transformation raises the question of how to measure the continuing progress and the resilience of this process over time. This paper aims at developing the conceptualization and operationalization of resilience for energy systems in transition with regard to both social and technical aspects. Based on the resilience concept in social-ecological systems literature, we propose to conceptualize resilience for energy systems building on two core attributes of resilience, namely diversity and connectivity. We present an indicator set to operationalize these key attributes in social and technical systems using: (i) definitions and measurements for three fundamental diversity properties-variety, balance and disparity-and (ii) basic connectivity properties from the social network analysis literature-path length, centrality and modularity. Finally, we reflect on possibilities for an application of these indicators in the social and technical system's spheres and discuss the added value of the approach for energy transition research

Hohe Akzeptanz und ungebrochenes Engagement

Das Allgäu, Beispielregion einer resilienten Transformation des Energiesystems? Ein Zwischenruf nach einem Jahr Projektarbeit in TranE. 80 % der befragten Allgäuer Bevölkerung würde eine Veränderung des Landschaftsbilds durch die Energiewende akzeptieren, 60 % auch die Veränderung der Geräuschkulisse Die Allgäuer Bevölkerung hat außerdem ein hohes Energiebewusstsein: über 80% der Befragten gaben an, bewusst Strom und Wärme zu sparen sowie beim Kauf neuer Geräte auf die Energieeffizienz zu ac..