Innovation and institutional change: the transition to a sustainable ...

Evolution of decentral cogeneration in the Netherlands 155
electricity competed with nuclear and coal-based electricity from France and
Germany.
Table 5.6 Main changes in linkages of electricity system to societal fields
(1998-05)
Macro
Knowledge Politics Economy Society
Re-organisation
of private R&D
through
stronger market
orientation;
public R&D
focuses on
energy system
aspects
Meso R&D
instruments
focus on
collaboration;
formation of
transition
coalitions
Micro Build up of
competences
regarding
Electricity Act 1998
initiates liberalisation of
electricity markets;
independent grid
operators emerge;
renegotiations of rules
for gid connection,
change towards
transition policy; shift
towards use of market
incentives
Changing linkages with
energy companies
develop; policies
facilitating transition
processes
Re-positioning and
changing routines in a
liberalised electiricy
market
New mode of
coordination between
industry and electricity
based on free choice of
electricity; changing
(and renegotiation of)
rules for grid connection
and remuneration;
international orientation
Industries organise
electricicy needs to
negotiate contracts with
electricity companies;
New forms of contracts
emerge, new ways of
settling contracts
(internet, apx); coalitions
for micro-cogeneration
emerge
5.7 Applying an institutional perspective
Changing ngo
orientation
towards
collaboration with
business;
information
society creates
changing energy
demands
Ngo’s provide
legitimacy for
sustainable energy
initiatives;
information
society as tool to
increase
transparency
Changing routines
towards
collaboration with
industries
Four phases can be discerned in the uptake of decentral cogeneration. Each
phase is characterised by typical change processes, problem-solution pairs,
factors and actors involved, represented in Table 5.4. Some overall
conclusions are that it is essentially a multi-faceted, multi-actor and multilevel
process in which the dominant design and beliefs of the electricity
system were undermined, and actors and factors became mobilised around
an alternative socio-technical configuration, leading to full
institutionalisation of that alternative configuration. While external factors
(oil crises, energy prices, Tsjernobyl) were crucial to change the course of