Summary ET&I 2024-2025
Consists of the papers, lecture slides and additional notes made during the lectures
Dennis Takens
,ET&I Summary week 1
Energy transition:
- A structural change in an energy system
Energy efficiency:
- The amount of its total energy that is converted into useful fuel
Key drivers in energy transitions:
Before: energy transitions were driven by technological innovations more efficiency or
scalability Technology push (transition caused by innovation)
Now: energy transitions are driven by the knowledge of the effects on the climate caused by
fossil fuels Technology pull (need for technology)
Strong positive correlation between energy sufficiently available and innovation
Reasons to shift away from fossil fuels:
1. Environmental concerns
2. Resource depletion
3. Energy security and geopolitics
a. Dependence on fossil fuels creates global market volatility and political
instability.
Greenhouse effect:
1. Greenhouse gasses &CO2 trap heat in atmosphere
a. Causes temperatures to increase on earth
Risks of fossil fuels for businesses
1. Increased climate change related disruptions
a. Weather impacts infrastructure, supply chains and operations
2. Rising energy costs & resource scarcity
3. Regulatory uncertainty & stricter future policies
4. Financial risks and insurance costs
a. Higher insurance costs due to climate-related damages
5. Investor/consumer disengagement
, a. Companies who are not willing to shift may face the risk of losing customers
Is there good news?
- Yes, technically the problem can be solved with technological innovation.
o But some solutions may cause new problems
Key technical challenges in energy transition:
1. Storage & Intermittency:
a. Requires better energy storage
b. Renewables depend on the weather
2. Grid infrastructure:
a. Existing grids need upgrades for decentralized power
3. Industrial applications:
a. Heavy industries need high-energy fuels, slowing transition
i. Ex: steel production recquires really high temperatures
4. Resource scarcity:
a. Limited supply of critical minerals like lithium and cobalt
5. Land use:
a. Renewables require space, leading to competition with other sectors
, Social challenges in energy transition
- Social acceptance of the need and of the right solutions
o MIMBY
Policy challenges in energy transition
- Policies for encouraging the energy transition
Paper 1: Geels, F. (2019). Socio-technical transitions to
sustainability: a review of criticisms and elaborations of
the Multi-Level Perspective
- The article reviews socio-technical transitions to sustainability using the Multi-Level
Perspective (MLP) framework, addressing its criticisms and elaborations
MPL Framework:
- Explains transitions through three levels:
1. Niches:
a. spaces for radical innovations
2. Socio-technical regimes:
a. Established systems maintained by actors (firms & policymakers)
3. Socio-technical landscapes:
a. External pressures (cultural, political, economic trends)
Transition phases:
1. Phase 1: Experimentation with niche innovations
a. Radical innovations emerge in protected niches (e.g., R&D labs, pilot projects
2. Phase 2: Stabilization into dominant designs
a. A dominant design emerges through standardization, codification of best
practices, and knowledge sharing
3. Phase 3: Diffusion and disruption of regimes
4. Phase 4: Institutionalization of new systems
a. The new socio-technical system replaces or reconfigures the old regime
Consists of the papers, lecture slides and additional notes made during the lectures
Dennis Takens
,ET&I Summary week 1
Energy transition:
- A structural change in an energy system
Energy efficiency:
- The amount of its total energy that is converted into useful fuel
Key drivers in energy transitions:
Before: energy transitions were driven by technological innovations more efficiency or
scalability Technology push (transition caused by innovation)
Now: energy transitions are driven by the knowledge of the effects on the climate caused by
fossil fuels Technology pull (need for technology)
Strong positive correlation between energy sufficiently available and innovation
Reasons to shift away from fossil fuels:
1. Environmental concerns
2. Resource depletion
3. Energy security and geopolitics
a. Dependence on fossil fuels creates global market volatility and political
instability.
Greenhouse effect:
1. Greenhouse gasses &CO2 trap heat in atmosphere
a. Causes temperatures to increase on earth
Risks of fossil fuels for businesses
1. Increased climate change related disruptions
a. Weather impacts infrastructure, supply chains and operations
2. Rising energy costs & resource scarcity
3. Regulatory uncertainty & stricter future policies
4. Financial risks and insurance costs
a. Higher insurance costs due to climate-related damages
5. Investor/consumer disengagement
, a. Companies who are not willing to shift may face the risk of losing customers
Is there good news?
- Yes, technically the problem can be solved with technological innovation.
o But some solutions may cause new problems
Key technical challenges in energy transition:
1. Storage & Intermittency:
a. Requires better energy storage
b. Renewables depend on the weather
2. Grid infrastructure:
a. Existing grids need upgrades for decentralized power
3. Industrial applications:
a. Heavy industries need high-energy fuels, slowing transition
i. Ex: steel production recquires really high temperatures
4. Resource scarcity:
a. Limited supply of critical minerals like lithium and cobalt
5. Land use:
a. Renewables require space, leading to competition with other sectors
, Social challenges in energy transition
- Social acceptance of the need and of the right solutions
o MIMBY
Policy challenges in energy transition
- Policies for encouraging the energy transition
Paper 1: Geels, F. (2019). Socio-technical transitions to
sustainability: a review of criticisms and elaborations of
the Multi-Level Perspective
- The article reviews socio-technical transitions to sustainability using the Multi-Level
Perspective (MLP) framework, addressing its criticisms and elaborations
MPL Framework:
- Explains transitions through three levels:
1. Niches:
a. spaces for radical innovations
2. Socio-technical regimes:
a. Established systems maintained by actors (firms & policymakers)
3. Socio-technical landscapes:
a. External pressures (cultural, political, economic trends)
Transition phases:
1. Phase 1: Experimentation with niche innovations
a. Radical innovations emerge in protected niches (e.g., R&D labs, pilot projects
2. Phase 2: Stabilization into dominant designs
a. A dominant design emerges through standardization, codification of best
practices, and knowledge sharing
3. Phase 3: Diffusion and disruption of regimes
4. Phase 4: Institutionalization of new systems
a. The new socio-technical system replaces or reconfigures the old regime
