Table 1 How the socio-material dimensions of RE might influence regional institutions, governance and policy-making and infrastructure
From: Policy-relevant insights for regional renewable energy deployment
Socio-material dimensions of RE | Institutions | Governance and policy-making | Infrastructure issues |
|---|---|---|---|
Renewable energy sources as potentially deployable sources of energy that interact with current land-based resource use | Spatial planning and land-use Land-use preferences, Planning and land-use law/rights Social attachments to the environment and the re-appraisal of the landscape, e.g. strategies that draw upon siting criteria to create new representations of development opportunities, such the creation of spatial zoning with presumption in favour of RE deployment | Regional agency and spatial planning The regional level often has responsibilities for and some authority over regional economic development and planning and for the construction and application of mapping methodologies, e.g. spatial planning Negotiation and weighing of different environmental values against RE targets vs. land-use policy traditions and values Limits to expansion and pressures for and regional responses to RE deployment Regional renewable companies might hold research or land-use permits and have the know-how to negotiate/understand local planning issues | Transmission and distribution infrastructure renewal Infrastructure networks are connected (transmission and distribution networks) within specific territories and there interconnections between them Grid capacity and infrastructure upgrades become a site-specific issue that requires planning approvals and can meet with local opposition |
The nature and content of discourses, narratives and visions for renewable energy deployment | Shared visions and binding expectations Which characteristics of the resource become incorporated into mapping and which get excluded and the extent to which (these spatial representations) are accepted or resisted by different actors Identity and cultural influences: e.g. anti-nuclear and alternative energy movements | Target/aspiration settings and legitimisation Locations presented as sources of inward investment (‘open for business’)/simplification of legal and regulatory frameworks to support ambitious deployment policies Coherent narratives provide legitimisation of a particular process of regional development and RE and are used as a conduit and a way of communicating the articulation of particular RE development paths | Energy security and access Investments in transmission and distribution networks may be legitimised as a ‘sustainable development priority’ Visions for RE might ignore the grid; treat existing grid capacity as ‘firm’, constraining RE location; or assume that extra grid capacity will materialise to follow new generation capacity |
The nature, extent, management, and regulation of built infrastructure requirements for RE delivery and the power to shape such infrastructure | Regulation and standards Transmission charges (and location pricing) Connection rights/rules Historical rules and institutions favouring centralised electricity infrastructures and utilities | Regional agency and economic development Attracting technology developers due to site availability for testing and experimental activities; potential sites are promoted for demonstration projects and experimental platforms (e.g. smart grid and storage) Existing local economic and technological structures, knowledges and competences are mobilised through the purposive actions of agents, resulting in the local emergence of new paths | Local infrastructure development Centralised power supply vs. decentralised; demand centre and RE sites Ability and willingness to provide funding for local infrastructure development (e.g. production, distribution and storage) Possibilities for and development of RE-based heat networks |