Conceptualizing Niche–Regime Dynamics of Energy Transitions from a Political Economic Perspective: Insights from Community-Led Urban Solar in Seoul

Daphne Ngar-Yin Mah,Darren Man-Wai Cheung

doi:10.3390/su12124818

Daphne Ngar-Yin Mah, Darren Man-Wai Cheung

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124818

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Jun 12, 2020
Citations: 5	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Hong Kong Baptist University

Abstract

The complex dynamics between technological niches and regime “lock-in” are critical in determining the pace and outcomes of energy transitions. The socio-technical transitions literature has received growing scholarly attention, but it lacks consideration of the broader political and economic contexts. This paper aims to advance understanding of socio-technical transitions by conceptualizing niche–regime dynamics from a political economic perspective, with reference to a case study of solar in Seoul. Based on in-depth face-to-face interviews with 18 key stakeholders, we have three findings. Firstly, the politico-economic contexts have created an embedded environment in which five factors have a clear influence on niche–regime dynamics. Secondly, the politico-economic contexts created conducive conditions for niche developments on the one hand, but, on the other hand, have created inhibitive conditions that have cancelled out the positive forces and reinforced “lock-in”. Thirdly, the processes occur at multi-scalar levels: Community solar niches in Seoul are conditioned by the broader politico-economic contexts at city and national levels. We conclude that sufficient policy attention should be given to the political economy of a national energy system in order to create conducive conditions for community-led niches to realize the full potential that they could offer in energy transitions.

Highlights

Low-carbon and energy innovations have proliferated in national and sub-national levels all over the world
This study aims to understand and explain the complex interactions between socio-technical energy niche building, scaling up of niche innovation, regime destabilization, and lock-in from a multilevel perspective (MLP) expanded with political economic perspective, utilizing community solar in Seoul as an empirical case
The main research question is: How do the politico-economic contexts of South Korea create conducive and inhibitive conditions for the niche development of urban solar in Seoul? We argue that the Seoul model has made progress only in technological niches with some emerging developments towards market niches, but is far away from initiating regime shifts under the confluence of conducive and inhibitive conditions at the national, city, and community levels

Summary

Introduction

Low-carbon and energy innovations have proliferated in national and sub-national levels all over the world. Among these initiatives, urban solar photovoltaic (PV) developments in cities such as Seoul, London, and New York City have experienced major progress as solar PV costs continue to decline and policy-makers seek cost-effective post-Fukushima energy strategies. The Solarize NYC program in New York City [1] and the 2022 Solarcity Plan in Seoul [2] are examples showing that solar has become a core element of cities’ sustainability and energy plans. How and the extent to which these urban solar developments emerge, scale up, diffuse, and compete with traditional fossil fuel/nuclear energy options has, remained under-studied

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