News

Check out the latest three publications by Dierk Bauknecht here:

• "Citizen-led decentralised energy futures: Emerging rationales of energy system organisation", publish in July.

Abstract:

The current energy systems are undergoing fundamental changes driven by the climate crisis, unfolding digitalisation and increasing calls for a more active citizens' engagement. The impact of these ongoing trends on the future energy system, however, is far from straightforward. Although there is an increasing shift towards a decentralisation, it is not clear yet how exactly this new decentralised configuration will unfold and materialise. In this article we explore the rationales behind current trends towards a more decentralised electricity system. Given the developments in the electricity system, our study centres on emerging initiatives led by citizens and their values. Theoretically, we first mobilise the notion of socio-technical system as constituted and reproduced by actors, institutions, and technology, operating based on certain shared principles. We use this lens to describe the past and current energy system organisation. Secondly, based on two dimensions of value orientation and steering direction we define four emerging ideal-types socio-technical decentralisation configurations. We examine possible pathways of change, and the institutional, actor and technological preconditions they require, to become predominant forms of decentralisation. We conclude that although all forms of decentralisation may potentially contribute to low carbon objectives, they are likely to co-evolve catering to diverse system needs and the citizen requirements simultaneously.

And in collaboration with the Öko-Institut:

• "Institutional rules for the up-take of regulatory experiments: A comparative case study", published in February.

Abstract:

Experiments are an important governance instrument for fostering learning between actors, improving governance, and managing transition pathways for sustainable development. However, determinants of the up-take of the result of experiments are underexplored in the transition experimentation literature. Consequently, we explore the role of experimental design and institutions in this up-take. This paper examines the following research question: How is the up-take of regulatory experiments for sustainability transitions influenced by their design elements and what role do institutions play? The paper uses comparative qualitative content analysis to examine 27 international regulatory experiments. In analyzing the up-take of experiments, we focus on three dimensions: transferability, scalability, and unintended consequences. The analysis demonstrates that the transferability of regulatory experiments depends on its regulatory and geographical context as well as its timeframe and the selection of participants. The scalability appears to be mainly influenced by the timeframe and timing of the regulatory experiment as well as the communication of the experimenters with stakeholders and the support of political actors. Furthermore, the influence of unintended consequences from regulatory experiments depend on the diversity of the participants, the communication of the involved actors, and the use of several design options. Our results can inform policymakers and stakeholders about the design and role of institutions in regulatory experiments.

• "The role of decentralised flexibility options for managing transmission grid congestions in Germany" published in February.

Abstract: 

The workshop offered the great opportunity to discuss the different elements, the advantages and disadvantages, definitionsand modes of the complex field of transformation-oriented research.

Transformative research (TS) focuses on understanding real-world problems of unsustainability and on developing knowledge to solve these problems by engaging with different societal actors in a co-creative research setting. It builds on the acknowledgement that real-world problems are persistent, complex, ambiguous and require fundamental societal change processes (so called “transformations”) to be overcome.

During the workshop, participants gained a better understanding of what we collectively mean by transformative research and advanced critical questioning and reflections regarding experiences from the field. Instead of developing clear and foreclosing answers, participants explored the multiple perspectives and understandings of transformative research.

Three key lessons have been drawned for the community, that led to follow-up questions and elaborations:

• Transformative research critically advances from collaborative questioning: Is it really a matter of combining efforts to formulate the right questions instead of generating fast knowledge and solutions?
• Transformative research benefits from a shared identity: Who are we and what does transformative research change for us in our role and every-day scientific practice?
• Embodying participatory practices is key for transformative research: What kind of attitudes and formats do we use to come together in meaningful ways?

Valerie Voggenreiter and Felix Beyers from the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) in Potsdam published a paper on the workshop "A Journey of Collective Scientific Learning: A Networking Event on Transformative Research Hosted by the Austrian Institute of Technology" (August 2023).

Schauen Sie sich die letzten von Verena veröffentlichten Arbeiten an:

van Zyl-Bulitta, V.H.; Patt, A.; Mudombi, S.; Fabricius, C. (2023). Unintended consequences of climate change
adaptation: African case studies and typologies on pitfalls and windfalls, Development Southern Africa, Routledge.

Abstract: Climate change adaptation concerns mechanisms for responding to local climate change impacts to improve livelihoods of and decrease risks to affected stakeholders. In this article, we present evidence and novel insights from selected climate change adaption cases studies in Sub-Saharan Africa with the aim is to foster awareness and comprehension for local, national and transnational actors, enabling better decision-making, project implementation and policy design. To achieve this, we describe and assess positive spillovers and negative externalities of climate change adaptation. We apply a typology classification to collected case studies related to the occurrence of (un)intended (side) effects. Furthermore, we adapted political economic research on the state-of-the-art ‘4E’– method (representing enclosure,
exclusion, encroachment, entrenchment) evident in the literature and case study applications to fit our research
questions. The factors we found relevant for explaining the typology include collaboration across scales, data
availability and learning, bottom-up involvement/participation. We also formulated the positive counterpart of each of
the four E dimensions. One finding was that the category lose-win, where the intended goal was not achieved, yet a
positive spillover occurred, would be more likely to emerge with the factors ‘bottom-up participation’ as well as
‘learning across scales’ being present.

Kouvara, A.; Priavolou, C.; Ott, D.; Scherer, P.; van Zyl-Bulitta, V.H. (2023). Circular, Local, Open: A Recipe for Sustainable Building Construction. Buildings 2023, 13, 2493.

Abstract: In response to the construction sector’s contribution to the climate crisis and exacerbation of social inequalities, we explore sustainable alternatives in building construction, informed by the illustrative case study of the Polycare
construction system. A Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) shows that the ecological footprint of circularity-oriented buildings
based on polymer concrete is significantly lower than that of conventional cement concrete buildings. Despite the
drawbacks of polymer concrete, its high-performance properties and the possibility to integrate secondary materials in
its recipe can result in a reduced carbon footprint. When coupled with design-embedded modularity that facilitates
circular processes, buildings similar to those in the case study demonstrate potential for transitioning towards
comprehensive sustainable building practices. Further, we discuss how this sustainability potential could be enhanced,
drawing from interviews with Polycare’s stakeholders and key literature findings. We provide a set of proposals
anchored in the argument that threefold “circularity, localisation, and openness” is vital for sustainable and affordable
alternatives, with openness being a crucial element for fostering innovation, adaptability, and scalability in building
processes.

Master of Commerce (Stellenbosch) Absolventin Verena van Zyl-Bulitta setzt ihr Promotionsstudium am Lehrstuhl für Nachhaltigkeits- und Transformationsforschung fort, das sie an der Universität Leipzig begonnen hat. Darin beschäftigt sie sich mit sozial-ökologischen und sozio-technischen Aspekten der Energiewende entlang des globalen Nord-Süd-Gefälles. Sie untersucht, wie die Verteilung von Verantwortlichkeiten für die Flexibilisierung, Commons-Governance-Mechanismen und die Rolle der Co-Verbraucher aus einer Commoning-Perspektive gestaltet werden kann. Dazu wendet sie in ihrer Forschung Konzepte der Energie- und Flexibilitätsgerechtigkeit sowie politisch ökonomische Ansätze an.