Institutions and Public Regulation - Options for Planning and Managing Technological Innovation for Smart Energy Systems

Aalborg University

Description:

A “business-as-usual” energy scenario may be changed into a scenario based on renewable energy and flexibility. Going towards 100% renewable energy systems requires Smart energy systems. But what are the demands of institutions, organisations, and public regulation on the technological trajectory of this change?

The aim of this course is to enable the PhD researcher to analyse the interplay between technological innovation and the institutional/regulatory framework in which it is embedded. The PhD course focuses on the energy sector, but its content is also applicable to other institutional and regulatory frameworks where radical technological changes are investigated.

The objective is for you to use the content as an inspiration for an article or for your dissertation.

The course enables you to use cases for examining institutions and public regulation and raises an awareness of different innovation paths. Initially, you will be introduced to theories of markets, state, public regulation, and innovation, and to methodologies to research the mechanisms within these areas. Cases are presented which may illustrate that technological trajectories are closely linked to different institutional and regulatory models and actors.

Potential case themes include: Privatisation and liberalisation programmes, public-private partnerships, EU renewable energy policy, transportation policy, CO2 trading schemes, green certificates, bottom-up and top-down technological innovation, strategic energy planning and other.

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