Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem offers an innovative approach to equip interdisciplinary research on sociotechnical transitions with coherence and focus. The book emphasizes sociotechnical problems in three analytical dimensions:

- In the control dimension, contributing authors examine how control can be maintained despite increasing complexity and uncertainty, e.g., in power grid operations or on energy markets;

- In the change dimension, the authors explore if and how change is possible despite the need for stable orientation, e.g., regarding discourses, real-world labs and learning;

- Finally, in the action dimension, the authors analyze how the ability to act on a permanent basis is sustained despite opaqueness and ignorance, exemplified by the work on trust, capabilities or individual motives.

Drawing on contributions from engineering, economics, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology, the book assembles a range of classic and current themes including innovation, resilience, institutional economics, design or education. Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem presents the ongoing transformation of the energy complex as a multidimensional process, in which the analytical dimensions interact with each other in shaping the energy future. As such, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy transitions, energy science and environmental social science more generally, as well as to practitioners working within the field of energy policy.

About the Author

Christian Buscher is a senior researcher at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany.

Jens Schippl is a senior researcher at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany.

Patrick Sumpf is a research associate at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany.

Reviews

"This book follows a promising approach in putting together various interdisciplinary and up-to-date perspectives on energy transitions in a structured way. It thereby provides interesting new insights for further understanding interrelations of circumstances and finding ways for handling the complexity of energy transitions within a socio-technical background." -- Bert Droste-Franke, Head of Energy Department, EA European Academy of Technology and Innovation Assessment GmbH, Germany

"This is a timely and ambitious collection of disciplinary perspectives on the rapidly accelerating shift towards energy transition. By framing the process as a "socio-technical problem", the authors provide an integrative view, which is direly needed to tackle the challenges of this real-world experiment." -- Bernhard Truffer, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Switzerland, and Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

"You won't find better proof of the value added by a truly interdisciplinary approach to key sociotechnical problems than this book. The last chapter summarizing and demonstrating the case for a more expansive, integrated thinking is the best introduction I know for more effectively addressing the energy transitions taking place across much of the world." -- Emery Roe, Center for Catastrophic Risk Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Book Information
ISBN 9780367586072
Author Christian Buscher
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 620g