Abstract
Achieving a sustainable energy transition is crucial for mitigating climate change. Citizens' acceptance of the transition is important for it to succeed. We explored citizens' images of the future energy forms and energy system in Finland, and the drivers of a sustainable energy transition. The data gathered with an online questionnaire targeting an adult population 17–75 years of age (N = 1012) were analysed with exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression. Four dimensions of future energy forms were identified: next-generation renewables, fossil energy, bioenergy, and established renewable vs. nuclear energy. Four dimensions of the future energy system were also identified: renewing the energy market, domestic power, small-scale producers, and consumer awareness. Five transition drivers were likewise identified: mainstreaming renewable energy, international actors, individual actions, changing values and economy, and emancipatory change. Mainstreaming renewable energy emerged as the key driver of transition, followed by individual actions. Generally, the sustainable energy transition was strongly supported by citizens' images, but different socio-economic groups preferred somewhat different images. Thus, the diversity of consumers' and citizens’ roles in the transition needs to be acknowledged and encouraged in legitimate national energy policies.
Highlights
The current energy production and consumption system is unsustainable, and is increasingly contributing to global environmental problems, such as climate change
A reduction in carbon emissions requires a profound transition in the socio-technical energy system
We focused on the following research questions: 1. How desirable do citizens perceive the development of various energy production forms up to the year 2030?
Summary
The current energy production and consumption system is unsustainable, and is increasingly contributing to global environmental problems, such as climate change. A reduction in carbon emissions requires a profound transition in the socio-technical energy system. A core objective of the energy transition is to replace fossil energy with renewable energy. While there are significant economic and technological challenges to be resolved, societal and structural obstacles may be more serious. The energy innovations literature has identified a broad set of structural lockins developed over time [1]. These act as incentives for incremental improvements in existing systems, instead of fostering new approaches, conventions and technologies [2]. Socio-technical transitions are co-evolutionary processes between actors and social groups [3], but the public understanding of transitions is still under-researched
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