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ABSTRACT
The decarbonizing the heat sector is a major challenge in the energy transition in Germany and elsewhere. District heating systems could play an important role in this context. However, the diffusion of the technology in Germany has been very slow. The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the technological innovation system (TIS) to enhance understandings of the impediments to the diffusion of non-urban district heating systems. Due to its strong local context dependence, district heating can be understood as a configurational technology, and the TIS in which it is embedded as a configurational TIS. The paper contributes to the literature by developing policy suggestions that could lead to an acceleration of the diffusion of locally context-dependent technologies. The author recommends that policymaking in configurational TIS should aim at designing smart innovation system structures that can manage a high level of context specificity and facilitate vertical and horizontal knowledge exchange.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 We define non-urban district heating settings as projects that are implemented in settlements with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.
2 Wesche et al. ‘Actor coordination and division in sustainability transitions – evidence from the German domestic heat system’, submitted to Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions.
3 In this subsection systemic problems are indicated in italic.
4 In Germany, mayors are often the lowest administrative representative of the executive branch of the state. They are usually elected by the citizens of the municipality.: