IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v183y2022ics0040162522004073.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Will power be local? The role of local power organizations in energy transition acceleration

Author

Listed:
  • Trahan, Ryan Thomas
  • Hess, David J.

Abstract

A salient problem faced by governments and industry alike is how to accelerate energy transitions to enhance affordability, accessibility, and greenhouse-gas reduction. Bringing together acceleration processes and spatial scale dynamics, this study highlights the potential for electricity distribution to play a keystone role in the energy transition. We present and examine survey data of electricity distribution utilities in a region of the U.S. to show how trends in decentralization and digitization are intertwined with decarbonization. These trends rebalance economic value toward distribution networks and away from centralized infrastructure. The survey data show that electricity distribution organizations are deploying local, renewable generation projects that produce electricity for one-third (1/3) less than the cost from a centralized generation-and-transmission entity. We suggest that this change and others are likely to transform distribution operators into more broad-based local power organizations. Although the cost advantage of distributed generation seemingly marks a future of local control and decentralized organizational forms, spatial scale dynamics indicate countervailing centralization trends, including that distribution networks may evolve to dependency on external digital, engineering, and capital providers. The outcome of the resulting conflicts will affect the potential for transition acceleration to be enabled or reduced.

Suggested Citation

  • Trahan, Ryan Thomas & Hess, David J., 2022. "Will power be local? The role of local power organizations in energy transition acceleration," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:183:y:2022:i:c:s0040162522004073
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121884
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162522004073
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121884?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Smith, Adrian & Raven, Rob, 2012. "What is protective space? Reconsidering niches in transitions to sustainability," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 1025-1036.
    2. Roberts, Cameron & Geels, Frank W., 2019. "Conditions for politically accelerated transitions: Historical institutionalism, the multi-level perspective, and two historical case studies in transport and agriculture," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 221-240.
    3. Bolton, Ronan & Foxon, Timothy J., 2015. "Infrastructure transformation as a socio-technical process — Implications for the governance of energy distribution networks in the UK," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 90(PB), pages 538-550.
    4. Scherhaufer, Patrick & Klittich, Philipp & Buzogány, Aron, 2021. "Between illegal protests and legitimate resistance. Civil disobedience against energy infrastructures," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    5. Pohlmann, Angela & Colell, Arwen, 2020. "Distributing power: Community energy movements claiming the grid in Berlin and Hamburg," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    6. Ford, Rebecca & Maidment, Chris & Vigurs, Carol & Fell, Michael J. & Morris, Madeleine, 2021. "Smart local energy systems (SLES): A framework for exploring transition, context, and impacts," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    7. Graf, Patricia & Jacobsen, Heike, 2021. "Institutional work in the transformation of the German energy sector," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    8. Roelich, Katy & Knoeri, Christof & Steinberger, Julia K. & Varga, Liz & Blythe, Phil T. & Butler, David & Gupta, Rajat & Harrison, Gareth P. & Martin, Chris & Purnell, Phil, 2015. "Towards resource-efficient and service-oriented integrated infrastructure operation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 40-52.
    9. Johansson, Petter & Vendel, Martin & Nuur, Cali, 2020. "Integrating distributed energy resources in electricity distribution systems: An explorative study of challenges facing DSOs in Sweden," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    10. Hadush, Samson Yemane & Meeus, Leonardo, 2018. "DSO-TSO cooperation issues and solutions for distribution grid congestion management," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 610-621.
    11. Lenhart, Stephanie & Araújo, Kathleen, 2021. "Microgrid decision-making by public power utilities in the United States: A critical assessment of adoption and technological profiles," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hess, David J. & Jordan, Megan L., 2023. "Demunicipalization as political process: Strategic action and the sale of municipal electric utilities in the United States," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    2. Ryan Thomas Trahan & Brad Jantz, 2023. "What is ESG? Rethinking the “E” pillar," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(7), pages 4382-4391, November.
    3. Paolo Picchi & Dirk Oudes & Sven Stremke, 2023. "Regional Strategy, Municipality Plans and Site Designs for Energy Transition in Amsterdam, The Netherlands: How Sustainable Are Implementation Processes on Different Spatial Levels?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Ali Adil, 2024. "Differentiated grassroots: Navigating sustainability transitions in conservative political contexts," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(8), pages 1508-1525, June.
    5. Huang, Chenchen & Lin, Boqiang, 2023. "Promoting decarbonization in the power sector: How important is digital transformation?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    6. Holmes, Torik, 2024. "We need more network capacity! But why do we get it? Infrastructural refraction and the contingencies of network growth and energy transitions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    7. Tie-zhi Li & Pan Du & Xin-ping Wang & Chang Su, 2024. "Rural energy transition in the context of rural revitalization and carbon neutrality: improved multi-criteria-based decision-making," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 29(5), pages 1-24, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Radtke, Jörg & Scherhaufer, Patrick, 2022. "A social science perspective on conflicts in the energy transition: An introduction to the special issue," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    2. Geels, Frank W. & Ayoub, Martina, 2023. "A socio-technical transition perspective on positive tipping points in climate change mitigation: Analysing seven interacting feedback loops in offshore wind and electric vehicles acceleration," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    3. André Sorensen & Anna-Katharina Brenner, 2021. "Cities, Urban Property Systems, and Sustainability Transitions: Contested Processes of Institutional Change and the Regulation of Urban Property Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-19, July.
    4. Gruber, Mario, 2020. "An evolutionary perspective on adoption-diffusion theory," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 535-541.
    5. McMeekin, Andrew & Geels, Frank W. & Hodson, Mike, 2019. "Mapping the winds of whole system reconfiguration: Analysing low-carbon transformations across production, distribution and consumption in the UK electricity system (1990–2016)," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(5), pages 1216-1231.
    6. Farrelly, M.A. & Tawfik, S., 2020. "Engaging in disruption: A review of emerging microgrids in Victoria, Australia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    7. Geels, Frank W., 2020. "Micro-foundations of the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions: Developing a multi-dimensional model of agency through crossovers between social constructivism, evolutionary economics," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    8. Medina-Molina, Cayetano & Pérez-Macías, Noemí & Fernández-Fernádez, José Luis, 2023. "The use of micromobility in different contexts. An explanation through the multilevel perspective and QCA," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    9. Haddad, Carolina R. & Bergek, Anna, 2023. "Towards an integrated framework for evaluating transformative innovation policy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    10. Chen, Ting & Vandendriessche, Frederik, 2023. "Evolution of the EU legal framework for promoting RES-E: A market compatible paradigm shift?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    11. Cheng Wang & Tao Lv & Rongjiang Cai & Jianfeng Xu & Liya Wang, 2022. "Bibliometric Analysis of Multi-Level Perspective on Sustainability Transition Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-31, March.
    12. Hojckova, Kristina & Ahlborg, Helene & Morrison, Gregory M. & Sandén, Björn, 2020. "Entrepreneurial use of context for technological system creation and expansion: The case of blockchain-based peer-to-peer electricity trading," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(8).
    13. Rebenaque, Olivier & Schmitt, Carlo & Schumann, Klemens & Dronne, Théo & Roques, Fabien, 2023. "Success of local flexibility market implementation: A review of current projects," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    14. Dandan Liu & Anmin Huang & Dewei Yang & Jianyi Lin & Jiahui Liu, 2021. "Niche-Driven Socio-Environmental Linkages and Regional Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-17, January.
    15. Ruhrort, Lisa, 2020. "Reassessing the Role of Shared Mobility Services in a Transport Transition: Can They Contribute the Rise of an Alternative Socio-Technical Regime of Mobility?," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 12(19), pages 1-1.
    16. Eleftheria Vasileiadou & Boukje Huijben & Rob Raven, 2014. "Crowdfunding niches? Exploring the potential of crowdfunding for financing renewable energy niches in the Netherlands," Working Papers 14-11, Eindhoven Center for Innovation Studies, revised Nov 2014.
    17. Marianne Ryghaug & Michael Ornetzeder & Tomas Moe Skjølsvold & William Throndsen, 2019. "The Role of Experiments and Demonstration Projects in Efforts of Upscaling: An Analysis of Two Projects Attempting to Reconfigure Production and Consumption in Energy and Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-15, October.
    18. Verrier, Brunilde & Strachan, Neil, 2024. "Sunset and sunrise business strategies shaping national energy transitions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    19. Geels, Frank W. & Kern, Florian & Fuchs, Gerhard & Hinderer, Nele & Kungl, Gregor & Mylan, Josephine & Neukirch, Mario & Wassermann, Sandra, 2016. "The enactment of socio-technical transition pathways: A reformulated typology and a comparative multi-level analysis of the German and UK low-carbon electricity transitions (1990–2014)," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 896-913.
    20. Chen, Ting & Vandendriessche, Frederik, 2023. "Enabling independent flexibility service providers to participate in electricity markets: A legal analysis of the Belgium case," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:183:y:2022:i:c:s0040162522004073. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.