Beyond Energy Futures

This book proposes two approaches to inform energy §and technology policies. Given the lack of tools for §sustainability assessments a Sustainability §Assessment Framework is proposed for a systematic §approach to tool selection and design of the next §generation of sustainability assessments. The second §approach is based on an attempt to understand the §dynamics of socio-technical transitions. It suggests §that the guidance to socio-technical transitions may §not come from choices made between technologies, but §instead from choices made about desirable futures. §It is argued that both approaches complement each §other in informing energy and technology policy §regarding transitions to future energy systems. §While the sustainability-driven approach allows us §to assess the sustainability of future technologies §and systems, the transition dynamics-driven approach §informs us about the dynamics of the transition §process and urges us to think of transitions in §terms of a desired future and its characteristics §(i.e. sustainability characteristics). Together the §two approaches inform us on how we might think about §choosing and guiding a desirable future.