Innovation and Policy for Bioenergy in the UK: A Co-Evolutionary Perspective

Abstract

De Laurentis C. Innovation and policy for bioenergy in the UK: a co-evolutionary perspective, Regional Studies. This paper analyses the role of niche innovation and regime interaction in the field of renewable energy in the UK. Adopting a co-evolutionary approach and a dynamic multilevel perspective on system innovation, it investigates niches development in the UK in the field of bioenergy and its interaction with the current energy regime. Contributing to the debate about spatial scales at which sustainability transitions can be conceptualized, the paper utilizes the case of niche development in the region of Wales to provide supporting evidence of the importance of context-specific social and political relations that may foster or hinder regime transformation.

De Laurentis C. 英国生质能源的创新与政策：一个协同演化的视角，区域研究。本文分析英国可再生能源的领域中，利基创新与社会制度互动所扮演的角色。本研究对于系统创新採用协同演化方法与动态多层级视角，探讨英国生质能领域中利基的建立，及其与目前能源制度的互动。本文运用威尔斯区域利基建立的案例，提供证据支持特定脉络的社会及政治关係的重要性，这些关係或许会促进或妨碍制度转移，本文并以此对于可持续性变迁可被概念化的空间尺度之辩论做出贡献。

De Laurentis C. L'innovation et la politique en faveur de la bioénergie au Royaume-Uni: un point de vue coévolutif, Regional Studies. Cet article analyse le rôle des créneaux d'innovation et des régimes d'interaction dans le domaine de l’énergie renouvelable au Royaume-Uni. À partir d'une approche coévolutive et d'une perspective multiniveaux dynamique des systèmes d'innovation, on examine le développement de créneaux au Royaume-Uni dans le domaine de la bioénergie et son interaction avec le régime énergétique actuel. Pour contribuer au débat sur les échelles spatiales auxquelles on peut conceptualiser le développement durable, l'article emploie le cas du développement de créneaux au pays de Galles afin de fournir des preuves à l'appui de l'importance des relations sociales et politiques spécifiques au contexte qui pourraient encourager ou entraver le changement de régime.

De Laurentis C. Innovation und Politik für Bioenergie in Großbritannien: eine koevolutionäre Perspektive, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag wird die Rolle der Wechselwirkungen zwischen Nischeninnovation und System im Bereich der erneuerbaren Energien in Großbritannien analysiert. Anhand eines koevolutionären Ansatzes und einer dynamischen, mehrschichtigen Perspektive der Systeminnovation werden die Nischenbildung in Großbritannien im Bereich der Bioenergie sowie ihre Wechselwirkungen mit dem derzeitigen Energiesystem untersucht. Als Beitrag zur Debatte über räumliche Maßstäbe, in denen sich Übergänge im Bereich der Nachhaltigkeit konzeptualisieren lassen, liefert dieser Beitrag anhand des Falls der Nischenbildung in der Region Wales unterstützende Belege für die Bedeutung von kontextspezifischen gesellschaftlichen und politischen Beziehungen, die eine Umgestaltung des Systems fördern oder sie behindern können.

De Laurentis C. Innovación y política para la bioenergía en el Reino Unido: una perspectiva coevolutiva, Regional Studies. En este artículo se analiza cuál es la interacción entre la innovación de nichos y el sistema en el campo de la energía renovable en el Reino Unido. A partir de un enfoque coevolutivo y una perspectiva dinámica de varios niveles sobre la innovación de sistemas, se examina el desarrollo de nichos en el Reino Unido en el campo de la bioenergía y su interacción con el actual sistema energético. Al contribuir al debate sobre las escalas espaciales en las que pueden conceptualizarse las transiciones de sostenibilidad, en este artículo el caso del desarrollo de nichos en la región de Gales sirve para aportar pruebas que demuestran la importancia de las relaciones sociales y políticas en un determinado contexto que pueden fomentar o evitar la reestructuración del sistema.

• Systems innovation
• Institutions
• Co-evolution
• Bioenergy
• Transition studies

• 系统创新
• 制度
• 协同演化
• 生质能
• 变迁研究

• Systèmes d'innovation
• Institutions
• Co-évolution
• Bioénergie
• Études sur la transition

• Systeminnovation
• Institutionen
• Koevolution
• Bioenergie
• Übergangsstudien

• Innovación de sistemas
• Instituciones
• Coevolución
• Bioenergía
• Estudios de transición
• JEL classifications: O13, O31, Q28, Q42

Acknowledgments

The author thanks the editors and three anonymous referees for their invaluable comments on an earlier version of this paper.

Funding

The author would like to acknowledge that this research was undertaken under the support of the ‘Regional Trajectories to the Knowledge Economy: A Dynamic Model?’ project [project number CIT3-CT-2005-006187], funded under the 6th Framework Programme (FP6-Citizens-3) of the European Union.

Notes

1. Geels (2006) also argues that in some circumstances these changes can occur rapidly, for example in the case of a rapid increase in oil price or war.

2. The literature distinguishes between purposive or emergent transitions (for instance, see Elzen et al., 2004).

3. The transition to a low carbon energy system supported by bioenergy innovations, for instance, requires interactions between two (or more) regimes (for example, co-generation of heat and power links heat, electricity and waste regimes; biofuels link agriculture and transport regimes).

4. The introduction of the Feed-in Tariffs scheme (FITs) in 2010, on the other hand, has aimed at promoting small-scale (less than 5 MW) low-carbon electricity generation, particularly by organizations, businesses, communities and individuals that were not traditionally engaged in the electricity market. However, as this research was undertaken before the introduction of the FITs, these will not be considered in this paper. Furthermore, a more recent measure, the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), will, when fully implemented, support generation of heat from renewable sources at all scales and will have a greater impact on bioenergy.

5. Bioenergy is energy (electricity, heat) produced from organic sources such as wood, energy crops or manure. These sources are called biomass. The words ‘bioenergy’ and ‘biomass’ are used interchangeably in this paper.

6. For a study of niche development and regime interaction in biomass in Denmark and the Netherlands, see, for instance, Raven (2005).

7. Arable Biomass Renewable Energy (ARBRE) was built near Eggborough in the northeast of England in 2001.

8. Co-milling is utilized in most plants and only a few have invested in direct injection mechanisms.

9. The co-firing ratio used is below 5% on a heat-input basis (Oxera, 2009).

10. A large co-firing demonstration project has been proposed by Innogy. The project would be designed and built by British manufacturers and would provide a solid basis for replication at other large boilers in the UK and abroad.

11. Devolution in Wales took place after the 1997 Welsh Devolution referendum with the first National Assembly for Wales being elected in 1999. The WG controls over twenty areas of devolved responsibility for which direct law-making power was also transferred after a further referendum in March 2011.

12. The prospect of growing grass for livestock with the flexibility of channelling surplus production into energy processing is a key area on which IBERS is focusing.

13. Nevertheless, it is the local heat market that presents the most cost-effective use of biomass and the ideal opportunity for farmers to become involved in energy crops. Measures to support and create a local demand for renewable heat represent the most profitable future outlet for energy crops (Sherrington et al., 2008).

14. In England, there are subsidies of £1000/ha for SRC and £920/ha for miscanthus. In Wales, previously the Forestry Commission provided grant for SRC willow, but at £600/ha it was much lower than those available elsewhere and when the grant closed in 2006 no more establishment grants were available to Welsh farmers.