Understanding innovation system build up: The rise and fall of the Dutch PV Innovation System

Renewable energy technologies have a hard time to break through in the existing energy regime. In this paper we focus on analysing the mechanisms behind this problematic technology diffusion. We take the theoretical perspective of innovation system dynamics and apply this to photovoltaic solar energy technology (PV) in the Netherlands. The reason for this is that there is a long history of policy efforts in The Netherlands to stimulate PV but results in terms of diffusion of PV panels is disappointingly low, which clearly constitutes a case of slow diffusion. The history of the development of the PV innovation system is analysed in terms of seven key processes that are essential for the build up of innovation systems. We show that the processes related to knowledge development are very stable but that large fluctuations are present in the processes related to ‘guidance of the search’ and ‘market formation’. Surprisingly, entrepreneurial activities are not too much affected by fluctuating market formation activities. We relate this to market formation in neighbouring countries and discuss the theoretical implications for the technological innovation system framework.Photovoltaic, Innovation system dynamics, Motors of Change

Modeling of Phonoelastic and Strain-stress Properties of ¹³C High Pressure Sensor for Use in Ecological Safety and Use of Natural Resources

We investigate different properties of ¹³C diamond layer which was grown on a top of a brilliant cut diamond anvil. We connected equations of state for diamond with stress and strain concentrating on the case of [100], see ([1]) strain with diamond anvil bearing load plane as (100), (see [1]). We investigated the behavior of optical Г phonons with respect to pressure, strain and stress parameters. We also did simulation of these problems using finite element modeling and Nike2D computer software. We used O.H. Nielsen approach for modeling of the sensor.Досліджуються різноманітні властивості прошарку ¹³C-алмаза, який виростили на верхівці сенсора-діаманта. Поєднані рівняння стану алмаза і концентрації з фоноеластичними властивостями. Досліджуються рівняння, які описують поведінку оптичних фонів в термінах тиску і напруги. Проведено моделювання цих проблем з використанням методу кінцевих елементів і програмного забезпечення Nike2D. Для моделювання сенсору було застосовано метод наближення О. Нільсена.Исследуются различные свойства слоя ¹³C-алмаза, выращенного на вершине сенсора - бриллианта. Объединены уравнения состояния алмаза и концентрации с фоноэластическими свойствами. Исследуются уравнения, описывающие поведение оптических фононов в терминах давления и напряжения. Проведено моделирование этих проблем, используя метод конечных элементoв и программное обеспечение Nike2D. Для моделирования сенсора применен метод приближения О. Нильсена

Timebanking: Case Study Report

Theme [ssh.2013.3.2-1][Social Innovation- Empowering People, changing societies]. Project Full Title: “Transformative Social Innovation Theory project”First full draft: 13 February 2015Versión resumida disponible en: http://www.transitsocialinnovation.eu/resource-hub/transformative-social-innovation-narrative-timebanking[Abstract] This case study report focuses on how timebanking initiatives are organised both through networks and, sometimes, as stand-alone initiatives. The transnational network organisation under study is the hOurworld organisation. The case study also has two local cases: the UK and Spain. The study was guided by four empirical research questions based upon a preliminary conceptual framework of the TRANSIT-project. The four questions concern: 1 the overall development of the local cases and the transnational network(ing); 2 how they relate to different types of change and innovation (incl. social innovation, system innovation, game- changers, narratives of change and societal transformation); 3 how actors are empowered and/or disempowered in and by the local cases and the transnational network(ing), including topics such as governance, learning, resourcing and monitoring; 4 what are other relevant emergent issues with regard to understanding the dynamics of transformative social innovation.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 613169http://hdl.handle.net/2183/3006

Challenging Practices : Experiences from community and individual living lab approaches

Peer reviewe

Challenging social norms to recraft practices : A Living Lab approach to reducing household energy use in eight European countries

ENERGISE is the first large-scale European effort to reduce household energy use through a change initiative that adopted a ‘living lab’ approach informed by social practice theory. Two challenges were introduced to 306 households in eight countries: to lower indoor temperatures and to reduce laundry cycles. This contribution demonstrates the usefulness of a practice-centered design that takes habits and routines as an entry point for understanding how different ‘elements of practices’ can be re-crafted. We discuss how a participatory ‘living lab’ approach that explicitly encouraged deliberation and reflexivity served to sharpen attention on practices as central to change. We discuss how ‘doing laundry’ and ‘keeping warm’, as very different types of practices, responded to the change initiative. For laundry, tangible changes in material arrangements, news skills and sensory competencies, and shifts in what is seen as ‘normal’ proved to be central to reducing wash cycles, including wearing clothes more often, airing them out, using smell to gauge cleanliness, or keeping dirty clothes out of sight. Warming people rather than spaces through added layers and activities, and related shifts in norms around thermal comfort, emerged as crucial steps towards lowering indoor temperatures. Average changes in reported temperatures and wash cycles indicate that reductions are possible, without an emphasis on individuals or technologies as central to change. We end with a discussion on the implications of our approach for energy sufficiency thinking and practice, emphasizing the merits of taking the complexity of everyday life seriously when designing change initiatives.Peer reviewe

Households’ Willingness to Adopt Technological and Behavioral Energy Savings Measures: An Empirical Study in The Netherlands

The aim of this paper is to investigate households’ willingness to adopt technological and behavioral energy savings measures, in their dwellings and for daily mobility. Based on the evidence that occupants’ behavior has a major impact on energy uses at home and on the road, this paper aims at investigating which determinants influence household preferences for energy-saving measures, both technical as well as behavioral ones, as well as highlighting the key determinants for adopting energy-savings measures, at the household scale. This paper will attempt to shed more light on the factors that may bridge the intention–behavior gap. The analysis is based on an empirical survey carried out in the Netherlands. Main results show that (1) behavioral energy saving measures are more acceptable than technical ones; (2) the adoption of energy savings measures at home is more likely than on the road; (3) there is a relatively small market for technical energy measures, especially through the initial investment and the low return on investment; (4) environmental aspects seem to be more important for relatively expensive technical energy measures; (5) the reason for taking technological energy measures is rather to be found in differences among socio-demographic background than in environmental concerns; and (6) comfort at home and on the road is an important explanatory variable that many respondents used to justify not implementing energy savings measures and should be investigated in further research

Exploring the Changing Gap of Residential Energy Consumption per Capita in China and the Netherlands:A Comparative Analysis of Driving Forces

This paper brings out some remarkable differences between China as a developing country experiencing high economic growth and the Netherlands as a developed country by examining the driving forces behind the evolution of residential energy consumption per capita (RECpc) in the two countries in the period from 2001 to 2015. The components we analysed are income, energy-intensity, weather and energy-mix effects. The most remarkable result is the changing effect of energy intensity in China: during 2001-2007 energy intensity increased, and decreased afterward. The changes reflected changes in material circumstances: the shift to relative energy intensive goods and of saturation of energy demand for heating and cooling. In the Netherlands, the declining energy intensity, warmer winters and the more diversified energy mix decreased RECpc by 511.39, 58.81 and 1.08 kgce, respectively. Although the income growth both increased RECpc in the two countries, the relatively high-speed increasing income in China narrowed the RECpc gap between the two countries. This study implies that the opposite changes in RECpc in developing and developed countries are due to the different development stages reached by the countries. Policy suggestions are being offered to deal with the different circumstances, as revealed through this study

Facilitating the Energy Transition—The Governance Role of Local Renewable Energy Cooperatives

The governance role of local renewable energy cooperatives (LRECs) in facilitating the energy transition remains under-scrutinized in the scholarly literature. Such a gap is puzzling, since LRECs are a manifestation of the current decentralization movement and yield a promising governance contribution to a ‘just energy transition’. This paper presents a study of the governance roles of LRECs in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands. Building on existing work on the cooperative movement and energy governance, we, first, develop a conceptual framework for our analysis. The framework is built around three key interactions shaping these governance roles, between (1) LRECs and their (potential) members, (2) LRECs and the government and (3) LRECs with other LRECs. The results of an online survey and qualitative interviews with selected cooperatives led to the identification of five key governance roles that these cooperatives take up in the facilitation of the energy transition: (1) mobilizing the public, (2) brokering between government and citizens, (3) providing context specific knowledge and expertise, (4) initiating accepted change and (5) proffering the integration of sustainability. The paper concludes by reflecting on the relevance of our findings in this Dutch case for the broader ‘just transition’ movement

Energy Justice as Part of the Acceptance of Wind Energy: An Analysis of Limburg in The Netherlands

Policy documents in Limburg stress the importance of participation and distribution of benefits in wind energy projects, but it is not clear which modes of participation and distribution of benefits are most just, both in terms of perceived justice, and in terms of justice principles. Research shows that considering justice in renewable energy transitions increases the level of acceptance. This study aims to provide insight in what modes of participation and distribution are perceived as most just and likely to create local acceptance of wind parks. The most preferred modes are being compared to the indicators of the energy justice framework in order if they meet the criteria for a fair procedure and distribution of outcomes. Based on semi-structured interviews the analysis of the data demonstrated that different modes of participation in different phases of the process are being preferred and that a balance between modes of distribution of benefits is preferred. The results indicate that the most preferred modes of participation cannot necessarily address all indicators of procedural justice and that depending on the mode of distribution of benefits and the balance between those modes indicators of distributive justice can be addressed