Electrification (ePub)

Electrification: Accelerating the Energy Transition offers a widely applicable framework to delineate context-sensitive pathways by which this transition can be accelerated and lists the types of processes and structures that may hinder progress towards this goal. The framework draws insights from well-established literature, ranging from technological studies to socio-technical studies of energy transitions, on to strategic niche management approaches, (international) political economy approaches, and institutionalist literatures, while also adopting wider social theoretical ideas from structuration theory. Contributors discuss a multitude of case studies drawn from global examples of electrification projects.

Brief case studies and text boxes help users further understand this domain and the technological, infrastructural and societal structures that may exercise significant powers.

• Proposes a globally applicable, inclusive framework linking together several literatures of energy transition research (ranging from the social sciences to law and engineering)
• Assesses the regional and national applicability of solutions, covering the societal structures and interests that shape the prospects of their implementation
• Extends the analysis from technological and infrastructural solutions to the policies required to accelerate transition
• Introduces several country level case studies, thus demonstrating how to harness niches of innovation, kick-start the adoption of a solution, and make it mainstream