Transformation of Industrial Energy Systems

Abstract

This chapter shows that the development of new energy systems for future low-carbon economies is not only a technical question of new energy sources and conversion technologies. Energy technologies are in complicated ways combined to energy regimes, including the technical systems and infrastructures, the social and economic structures of energy regimes, and the ecological qualities of energy systems as part of ecological systems. Interdisciplinary social-ecological analyses show the difficulties, tensions, and conflicts that become manifest in the transformation of industrial energy regimes that started in European and many other countries. Replacing the industrial energy sources (non-renewable, fossil sources of coal, oil, gas) through more environment-friendly energy from renewable sources (windpower, solar energy, bioenergy), and strategies for reducing energy consumption are the main forms of developing more sustainable energy systems. But also bioenergy production from plants on arable land shows non-intended consequences, socially unwanted land use, and economic conflicts. It is concluded that the transformation of energy systems requires much more efforts to deal with non-anticipated problems and conflicts.