Abstract
Together with increased shares of renewable energy supply, improved energy efficiency is the foremost means of mitigating climate change. However, the energy efficiency potential is far from being realized, which is commonly explained by the existence of various barriers to energy efficiency. Initially mentioned by Churchman, the term “wicked problems” became established in the 1970s, meaning a kind of problem that has a resistance to resolution because of incomplete, contradictory, or changing requirements. In the academic literature, wicked problems have later served as a critical model in the understanding of various challenges related to society, such as for example climate change mitigation. This aim of this paper is to analyze how the perspective of wicked problems can contribute to an enhanced understanding of improved energy efficiency. The paper draws examples from the manufacturing sector. Results indicate that standalone technology improvements as well as energy management and energy policy programs giving emphasis to standalone technology improvements may not represent a stronger form of a wicked problem as such. Rather, it seems to be the actual decision-making process involving values among the decision makers as well as the level of needed knowledge involved in decision-making that give rise to the “wickedness”. The analysis shows that wicked problems arise in socio-technical settings involving several components such as technology, systems, institutions, and people, which make post-normal science a needed approach.
Highlights
The United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes that present needs are to be met without affecting future needs in a negative way
Energy efficiency can be understood as a wicked problem because it is unclear what the problem is when it comes to energy use and improved efficiency
The answer to this probably depends on what societal sector or research community one belongs to, or in other words, which model one has for understanding energy efficiency
Summary
The United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes that present needs are to be met without affecting future needs in a negative way. Earlier research has stated that there is a large untapped potential for non-technology operational improvement measures resulting from sound energy management principles [6,7]. Another line of argument is that there has been a lack of a systems approach in energy efficiency research [8]. Recent research of the above-mentioned Swedish policy program PFE showed that a large degree of the measures was not directly related to technology, but instead were found in the management and operations of technologies and processes [12]. We discuss earlier research in industrial energy efficiency from a wicked problem perspective
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
