| 1. |
- Koehler, Jonathan, et al.
(författare)
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An agenda for sustainability transitions research: State of the art and future directions
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. - : Elsevier BV. - 2210-4224 .- 2210-4232. ; 31, s. 1-32
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research on sustainability transitions has expanded rapidly in the last ten years, diversified in terms of topics and geographical applications, and deepened with respect to theories and methods. This article provides an extensive review and an updated research agenda for the field, classified into nine main themes: understanding transitions; power, agency and politics; governing transitions; civil society, culture and social movements; businesses and industries; transitions in practice and everyday life; geography of transitions; ethical aspects; and methodologies. The review shows that the scope of sustainability transitions research has broadened and connections to established disciplines have grown stronger. At the same time, we see that the grand challenges related to sustainability remain unsolved, calling for continued efforts and an acceleration of ongoing transitions. Transition studies can play a key role in this regard by creating new perspectives, approaches and understanding and helping to move society in the direction of sustainability.
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| 2. |
- Altunay, Maria, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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Interaction between Energy Incumbents and Solar Entrants: Relationship Status Complicated
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. - : Elsevier BV. - 2210-4224. ; 46
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper contributes to the conceptualization of niche-regime interaction through a retrospective study of the evolution of business relationships between new entrant solar firms and incumbent municipal electric utilities in Sweden. We analyse how activity links, resource ties and actor bonds evolve over time and discuss the resulting interactions. We find that the relationships initially created mutual benefits, combining utilities’ brands and sales channels with solar firms’ technology competences. Most collaborations later turned into conflict due to the solar firms’ strengthened network positions and the clash between their private sector logic and the utilities’ public sector logic. Conceptually, we emphasize (1) changes in the relative importance of different resources (technology-related interactions), (2) decreased alignment of goals, strategies, and values (institution-related interactions), and (3) shifts in the relative power of new entrants vis-à-vis incumbents (network-related interactions). This leads us to question the common association of niches with new entrants and regimes with incumbents.
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| 3. |
- Altunay, Maria, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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Solar business model adoption by energy incumbents: the importance of strategic fit
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. - : Elsevier BV. - 2210-4224. ; 40, s. 501-520
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper answers recent calls to give more attention to the business strategies of incumbent actors regarding innovation and socio-technical transitions. We map the solar business model adoption of 30 Swedish electric utility incumbents and examine to what extent it can be explained by the strategic fit with the utilities' established business models, corporate strategies, and external environment. We find that all three dimensions need to be considered in order to explain adoption. Alignment with the established business model is mainly important concerning activities, resources, and partnerships, and utilities also re-configure solar models to increase this alignment (e.g. through outsourcing). However, it is not the main driver for adoption. Instead, incentives and pressures related to corporate strategies and external environment induce or block retailers from adopting solar models. By demonstrating the importance of strategic fit, these findings provide a more nuanced understanding of industry incumbent's strategies in relation to emerging technologies.
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| 4. |
- Aspeteg, Joakim, 1989, et al.
(författare)
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Exploiting opportunities in solar and wind power diffusion: the business models of private intermediaries
- 2017
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Entrepreneurial actors play an important role in sustainability transitions, most notably by furthering new technologies and solutions (or disrupt existing ones) through their proprietary business activities. This paper focuses on one particular type of entrepreneurial actor: diffusion intermediaries, i.e. actors that act as brokers between technology adopters and the providers of resources needed to adopt and implement a technology that is available more or less “off-the-shelf”. While it is theoretically clear that they can play an important role for sustainability transitions, a more detailed understanding of what value(s) they create for their clients and how that translates into value for the diffusion process as whole is lacking. The purpose of the paper is, therefore, to investigate how diffusion intermediaries, through their business models, influence technology adoption and diffusion. The paper is based on a qualitative survey of 14 solar PV and wind power intermediaries in Sweden. The study shows that diffusion intermediaries in both fields create value primarily through coordination and technology transfer rather than match-making. Wind power intermediaries serve a more homogenous set of larger and more investment-oriented customers than solar PV intermediaries, which leads to differences in terms of value propositions: wind power intermediaries sell an expected return on investment, whereas solar PV intermediaries sell turnkey power plants. The study also reveals the inherent tradeoffs in business model design – both between different value dimensions (e.g. legitimacy vs. quality or delivery time vs technology updates) and between value creation and value capture. These tradeoffs raise interesting questions with regard to how diffusion intermediaries influence the overall diffusion process. Are the values they choose to emphasize supportive of a transition to sustainable energy system or do their business model choices lead to unintended barriers at the system level?
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| 5. |
- Aspeteg, Joakim, 1989, et al.
(författare)
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The value creation of diffusion intermediaries: Brokering mechanisms and trade-offs in solar and wind power in Sweden
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526. ; 251
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper focuses on diffusion-oriented innovation intermediaries (“diffusion intermediaries”), i.e. actors that function as brokers between technology adopters and the providers of resources needed to implement a new technology that is available more or less “off-the-shelf”. It investigates how such actors create value for adopters of new technologies as well as the trade-offs they face. An interview-based, qualitative survey of 14 Swedish consultants and project developers involved in solar PV and wind power reveals that diffusion intermediaries create value mainly through technology transfer and coordination of various actors throughout the planning and implementation of turnkey projects. There is evidence of trade-offs related to value capture as well as between different value dimensions (e.g. between quality control and legitimacy). These findings have important implications for the design of strategies and policies to leverage value creation and handle trade-offs to avoid negative effects on projects, companies, and the overall diffusion of cleaner technologies.
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| 6. |
- Bach, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Implementing maritime battery-electric and hydrogen solutions: A technological innovation systems analysis
- 2020
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Ingår i: Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 1361-9209. ; 87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Maritime transport faces increasing pressure to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to be in accordance with the Paris Agreement. For this to happen, low- and zero-carbon energy solutions need to be developed. In this paper we draw on sustainability transition literature and introduce the technological innovation system (TIS) framework to the field of maritime transportation research. The TIS approach analytically distinguishes between different innovation system functions that are important for new technologies to develop and diffuse beyond an early phase of experimentation. This provides a basis for technology-specific policy recommendations. We apply the TIS framework to the case of battery-electric and hydrogen energy solutions for coastal maritime transport in Norway. Whereas both battery-electric and hydrogen solutions have developed rapidly, the former is more mature and has a strong momentum. Public procurement and other policy instruments have been crucial for developments to date and will be important for these technologies to become viable options for shipping more generally.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Bergek, Anna, 1973-
(författare)
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Ambiguities and challenges in the functions approach to TIS analysis : a critical literature review
- 2012
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper focuses on an approach often used in empirical studies of sustainable transitions: the functions of technological innovation system approach. After its introduction by Johnson and Jacobsson (2001), the functions approach has reached a quite widespread diffusion among innovation scholars, especially those interested in sustainability. However, during this diffusion process, the approach has to some extent been “re-invented” (Rogers, 1983) by its users, and many of the original definitions and assumptions are no longer applied. In order to take stock of the work so far and suggest possible avenues for further research in this field, the purpose of this paper is to identify similarities and differences in how the functions approach is applied by different (groups of) researchers. The paper first gives an overview of the functions literature and then critically reviews it. A clear lack of agreement between researchers is identified with regards to how the concepts of ‘function’ and ‘functionality’ are defined and conceptualised. Based on this analysis, the paper discusses the implications of this lack of agreement and identifies a number of critical choices that have to be made by individual researchers, but possibly also by the ‘functions’ community as a whole, in order to increase the lucidity and applicability of the functions approach to TIS analysis.
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| 9. |
- Bergek, Anna, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Analysing the Dynamics and Fucntionality of Sectoral Innovation Systems - a manual
- 2005
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Ingår i: DRUID Tenth Anniversary Summer Conference 2005, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark, June 27-29, 2005.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Various researchers and policy analysts have experimented with empirical studies of sectoral innovation systems (SIS), in which attempts have been made to understand the current structure of various innovation systems and trace their dynamics. We have captured the dynamics in terms of not only the structural components of a SIS but also pioneered such an analysis in terms of functional patterns (as well as functionality). In a collaborative work with VINNOVA (the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems), we have taken the analysis one step further and made explicit a scheme of analysis, or a manual for policy makers. The manual is based on the received literature, our prior experience in developing and applying functional thinking and three experimental case studies, conducted in collaboration with VINNOVA. The manual can be used by policy makers to identify not only the key policy issues but also to set policy goals and to assess the usefulness of various policy instruments.
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