Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Control, Change, and Action in Energy Transitions Routledge Studies in Energy Transitions Series

Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem offers an innovative approach to equip interdisciplinary research on sociotechnical transitions with coherence and focus. The book emphasizes sociotechnical problems in three analytical dimensions:

- In the control dimension, contributing authors examine how control can be maintained despite increasing complexity and uncertainty, e.g., in power grid operations or on energy markets;

- In the change dimension, the authors explore if and how change is possible despite the need for stable orientation, e.g., regarding discourses, real-world labs and learning;

- Finally, in the action dimension, the authors analyze how the ability to act on a permanent basis is sustained despite opaqueness and ignorance, exemplified by the work on trust, capabilities or individual motives.

Drawing on contributions from engineering, economics, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology, the book assembles a range of classic and current themes including innovation, resilience, institutional economics, design or education. Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem presents the ongoing transformation of the energy complex as a multidimensional process, in which the analytical dimensions interact with each other in shaping the energy future. As such, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy transitions, energy science and environmental social science more generally, as well as to practitioners working within the field of energy policy.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Christian Büscher, Jens Schippl and Patrick Sumpf

Chapter 2: Framing Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem of Control, Change, and Action

Christian Büscher

Part I: Sociotechnical Problem of Control

Chapter 3: Power Systems in Transition: Dealing with Complexity

Wolfgang Kröger and Cen Nan

Chapter 4: Aligning Institutions and Technologies in Energy Systems

Rolf W. Künneke

Chapter 5: Exposure and Vulnerability of the Energy System to Internal and External Effects

Marcus Wiens, Wolfgang Raskob, Florian Diehlmann, Stefan Wandler, and Frank Schultmann

Part II: Sociotechnical Problem of Change

Chapter 6: Real World Experiments as Generators of Sociotechnical Change

Matthias Gross

Chapter 7: Learning and Disruptive Innovation in Energy Transitions: Who Causes Which Constraints in the German Electricity Transition?

Gerhard Fuchs

Chapter 8: Energy System Transformation and Inertia in the UK: A Discourse-Institutional Perspective

Audley Genus, Marfuga Iskandarova and Leigh Champagnie

Part III: Sociotechnical Problem of Action

Chapter 9: The Energy System and Trust: Public, Organizational, and Transsystemic Perspectives

Patrick Sumpf

Chapter 10: Shaping Our Energy Future: The Irreducible Entanglement of the Ethical, Social, and Technical Realms

Rafaela Hillerbrand

Chapter 11: Technology and Motives: The Challenge of Energy Consumption Behavior

Siegmar Otto and Inga Wittenberg

Addendum: Observing Sociotechnical Problems

Chapter 12: Observing Amplified Sociotechnical Complexity: Challenges for Technology Assessment Regarding Energy Transitions

Todd R. La Porte

Chapter 13: Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem: A Concluding Discussion

Christian Büscher, Jens Schippl and Patrick Sumpf

Christian Büscher is a senior researcher at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany.

Jens Schippl is a senior researcher at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany.

Patrick Sumpf is a research associate at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany.