Chaos, fundamental conflicts, resistance and doubts. – Climate Gateway

Dirk Lorbach.

From one of our correspondents.

via Dirk LorbachDirector of DRIFT and Professor of Social and Economic Transformations at Erasmus University Rotterdam

The National RES Program publishes a series of articles in which scholars think critically about the energy transition in the Netherlands. Dirk Loerbach begins with a historical analysis. Decentralized or decentralized, that is the question. Climategate.nl signals.

For many parties, including the government, these problems represent to some extent their revenue model and right to exist.

Lorbach:

“We are now entering a truly chaotic transition, where fundamental conflicts, resistance and suspicions prevail. This is increasingly affecting the role and position of the government. Is it able to bid farewell to ossified attitudes and relationships, can it establish a policy of phase-out, and is the government also able to rebuild its power base And its financial dependencies?

On whose terms do we enter the next phase and what does this mean for the future energy system?

Lorbach:

“This requires a new kind of leadership, independence from vested interests and patterns of thinking, and the ability to inspire and mobilize, as well as the art of translating trends and practices into institutional strategy and change.

So far, joint efforts to redesign the energy system based on local capabilities do not appear to be taking off.

Lorbach:

“There is a conflict between two worlds: the fossil power plant versus the decentralized, sustainable plant. We are at the intersection of the

Social tensions surrounding affordability and equity (but also necessity and desire) add to the slowness of procedures and the fragmentation of policies.

Lorbach:

“What we seem to be essentially seeing so far is a movement from the system that wants to become increasingly sustainable and a movement from the private sector that has an increasingly better alternative. But how will these two find and strengthen each other? The idea that the future system must be centralized Fundamental, but decentralized In everyday practice, it seems a clear hybrid that combines the advantages of both worlds while leaving behind the disadvantages of both.

The old stability disappears while the new has not yet been formed, with all the feelings, doubts and discomforts that this entails.

Lorbach:

“But so far, the shared commitment to redesigning the energy system based on local capabilities does not seem to be taking off: the (centralized) way of seeing has been so deeply ingrained in energy policy, research and business that it is very difficult to understand how to develop capabilities, desires and needs from decentralization.” .

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For the entire article, see here.

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