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Intermediaries and the Governance of Choice: The Case of Green Electricity Labelling

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  • Harald Rohracher

    (IFZ—Inter-University Research Centre for Technology, Work and Culture, University of Klagenfurt, Schlögelgasse 2, 8010 Graz, Austria)

Abstract

This paper is about the reframing of electricity markets as a strategically oriented nonstate governance activity of intermediary organisations. In particular, it is centred on the establishment of ‘green’ electricity labels by environmental and other nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) as an attempt to establish and shape a market for green electricity. Such labels serve as a ‘boundary object’ between electricity generators, suppliers, consumers, and regulators, and are analysed as the creation of new sociotechnical arrangements around green electricity generation and use. The analysis also shows that private governance initiatives of this kind are highly interdependent with state regulatory systems. NGOs have played a vital role in defining and negotiating such standards, enrolling and aligning supply-side and demand-side actors, communicating with a wider public and building trust for the respective products, establishing links with regulators, and shaping policies for renewable electricity at national and European levels. The cases of electricity labelling investigated are an example of new political strategies of civil society intermediary organisations in an increasingly market-driven environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Harald Rohracher, 2009. "Intermediaries and the Governance of Choice: The Case of Green Electricity Labelling," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(8), pages 2014-2028, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:41:y:2009:i:8:p:2014-2028
    DOI: 10.1068/a41234
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Nick Eyre, 2013. "Decentralization of governance in the low-carbon transition," Chapters, in: Roger Fouquet (ed.), Handbook on Energy and Climate Change, chapter 27, pages 581-597, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Toonen, Hilde M. & Lindeboom, Han J., 2015. "Dark green electricity comes from the sea: Capitalizing on ecological merits of offshore wind power?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1023-1033.
    4. Jonathan Silver, 2015. "Disrupted Infrastructures: An Urban Political Ecology of Interrupted Electricity in Accra," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(5), pages 984-1003, September.
    5. Julie Cidell, 2014. "Mapping the Green Building Industry: How Local are Architects and General Contractors?," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 105(1), pages 79-90, February.
    6. Beau Warbroek & Thomas Hoppe & Frans Coenen & Hans Bressers, 2018. "The Role of Intermediaries in Supporting Local Low-Carbon Energy Initiatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-28, July.

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