Sustainability Transitions

Fundamental changes of established sectors such as energy or transportation not only pose major challenges for theory building but also for policymaking and strategy.

SusTec is very much interested in studying the ongoing energy transition towards larger shares of distributed generation, smart grids and renewable energies. At the same time, we also work on the improvement of frameworks for analyzing transitions.

Key findings:

Sustainability transitions is fast growing, interdisciplinary Downloadfield of research concerned with purposive, far-reaching transformation of existing sectors to achieve more sustainable modes of production and consumption (DownloadMarkard et al., 2012)
The ongoing energy transition is characterized by a high degree of uncertainty and complexity, a key role for public policy, strong vested interests and lock-in, and a variety of context-dependent transition pathways (DownloadKern and Markard, 2016)
In some countries, the energy transition has progressed into a new phase of development that is characterized, among other things, by industry decline and a complex interaction of multiple technologies (DownloadMarkard, 2018)
Complementarities between technologies, organizations or institutions are key for sustainability transitions. Complementarities at the sector level are particularly important and need to be monitored to avoid the emergence of bottlenecks. (DownloadMarkard and Hoffmann, 2016)
Policy systems and socio-technical systems mutually influence each other. Technological change is an important factor in explaining major policy changes in the energy transition (DownloadMarkard et al. 2016).
The energy transition is becoming increasingly pervasive, also affecting grid infrastructure and transmission technologies. Incumbent actors play a key role in the transition of transmission (Anderson & Markard 2018, ).
Infrastructure sectors exhibit specific characteristics such as capital intensity, durability of assets, regulation intensity or systemness, which make them a ‘special beast’ for transition studies (DownloadMarkard, 2011)
When analyzing transitions, it is important to also look into the strategies and resources of key actors, because these may have a major impact on the direction and speed of sectoral change (DownloadFarla et al., 2012)
Advocacy coalitions, for example, play an important role in transition policy making. In Swiss energy policy, coalitions have remained largely stable but there is increasing support for an energy transition (DownloadMarkard et al., 2015)
In a similar vein, incumbent firms from adjacent sectors may play a central role: In the case of smart grids, large ICT (Information and Communication Technology) firms may become important drivers for innovation in the electricity system (DownloadErlinghagen and Markard, 2012)

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