Finland in energy transition - The interplay between actors and institutions and the application of climate abatement technologies

Laura Kainiemi

Finland in energy transition - The interplay between actors and institutions and the application of climate abatement technologies

Julkaisun otsikon käännös: Suomi energiamurroksessa - Toimijoiden ja instituutioiden välinen vuorovaikutus ja ilmastonmuutosta torjuvien teknologioiden käyttöönotto

Laura Kainiemi

Energia- ja konetekniikan laitos

Tutkimustuotos: Doctoral Thesis › Collection of Articles

Abstrakti

Tällä hetkellä käytössä olevat päästöjen vähennyskeinot ovat riittämättömiä Pariisin ilmastosopimuksen tavoitteiden saavuttamiseksi. Toimenpiteiden riittämättömyyteen vaikuttavat teknologioiden kehityspolut ja niiden ympärille kehittyneet instituutiot. Tässä väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan instituutioiden ja toimijoiden välisen vuorovaikutuksen energiamurrokseen sekä ilmastonmuutosta torjuvien teknologioiden käyttöönottoon kohdistuvaa vaikutusta Suomessa. Institutionaaliset ympäristöt, jotka vaihtelevat maasta toiseen, koostuvat laeista ja asetuksista, sekä epävirallisista toimintatavoista, odotuksista ja uskomuksista. Keskitetyn energiasektorin maissa on tyypillisesti melko stabiili, muutoksille vastustuskykyinen institutionaalinen ympäristö. Väitöskirjan tapaustutkimukset keskittyvät Suomeen, jonka energiasektorin keskitetty rakenne on johtanut pitkälle kehittyneisiin instituutioihin. Ilmastonmuutosta torjuviin teknologioihin kohdistuva institutionaalinen tuki, sekä olemassa olevia rakenteita epävakauttavan säätelyn taso arvioidaan technological innovation systems -viitekehyksen avulla. Varsinaisen säätelyn lisäksi institutionaaliseen muutokseen vaikuttavat energiasektorin toimijoiden kollektiiviset, usein keskenään ristiriitaiset toimet. Toimijat voivat vaikuttaa institutionaaliseen ympäristöönsä paitsi strategisesti suuntauneen institutionaalisen työn avulla, myös käyttäen erilaisia kehyksiä viestinnässään. Näiden vaikutusta kartoitetaan dokumenttiaineiston, sekä kolmen haastatteluaineiston avulla. Haastatellut toimijat koostuvat politiikoista, ministeriöiden ja teollisuuden edustajista, ENGO jäsenistä, akateemikoista, sekä kansalaisaktiiveista. Toimijat ovat CCGS sekä CO2 mineralisoinnin asiantuntijoita, sekä energiapolitiikan toimijoita. Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat olemassa olevien rakenteiden epävakauttamiseen tähtäävän säätelyn olevan alhaisella tasolla. Olemassa olevat instituutiot muodostavat esteitä ilmastonmuutosta hillitsevien teknologioiden, sekä uusiutuvan energian käyttöönotolle. Laajasti hyväksyttyjen kehysten mukaisesti tarkastellut sovellukset nähdään marginaalisessa roolissa energiasektorilla. Nämä alhaiset odotukset ovat ongelmallisia teknologioiden käyttöönoton kannalta, sillä ne heijastuvat energiasektorin säätelyyn. Instituutioilla on myös rajoittava vaikutus toimijoiden strategiseen työhön, rajoittaen hyväksyttävien strategioiden lukumäärää. Energiasektorilla vakiintuneen aseman omaavilla toimijoilla on muita paremmat mahdollisuudet vaikuttaa energiamurroksen suuntaan. Tulokset korostavat toimijoiden ja instituutioiden välillä vallitsevan vuorovaikutuksen monimutkaisuutta. Ne osoittavat miten stabiilissa institutionaalisessa ympäristössä energiamurros pyrkii noudattamaan olemassa olevia kehityspolkuja, keskittyen hiilineutraalisuuteen radikaalimman murroksen sijaan.

Julkaisun otsikon käännös	Suomi energiamurroksessa - Toimijoiden ja instituutioiden välinen vuorovaikutus ja ilmastonmuutosta torjuvien teknologioiden käyttöönotto
Alkuperäiskieli	Englanti
Pätevyys	Tohtorintutkinto
Myöntävä instituutio	Aalto-yliopisto
Valvoja/neuvonantaja	Järvinen, Mika, Vastuuprofessori Eloneva, Sanni, Ohjaaja Levänen, Jarkko, Ohjaaja, Ulkoinen henkilö
Kustantaja	Aalto University
Painoksen ISBN	978-952-64-0161-4
Sähköinen ISBN	978-952-64-0162-1
Tila	Julkaistu - 2020
OKM-julkaisutyyppi	G5 Artikkeliväitöskirja

Tutkimusalat

energiamurros
instituutiot
toimijat
ilmastonmuutoksen torjunta
teknologioiden käyttöönotto

YK:n kestävän kehityksen tavoitteet

Tämä tuotos edistää seuraavia kestävän kehityksen tavoitteita:

Pääsy asiakirjaan

http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-64-0162-1

Siteeraa tätä

@phdthesis{8d602b0def5747f0aab542cab09ba9d9,

title = "Finland in energy transition - The interplay between actors and institutions and the application of climate abatement technologies",

abstract = "A significant gap remains between the goals set in the Paris Agreement and the emission reduction measures that have been implemented since. One of the reasons for this policy gap lies in technological trajectories and institutions which have formed to support existing technologies. This dissertation explores the interactions between actors and institutions in order to determine the influences on the deployment of climate abatement technologies and the direction of the energy transition. Institutional environments, which vary from one country to another, are comprised of formal rules and regulations, as well as informal practices, beliefs, and expectations. Countries with centralized energy production tend to have relatively stable institutional environments, which are more resistant to change. This dissertation is focused on Finland, which has a relatively centralized energy sector with well-established institutions. A technological innovation systems (TIS) analysis is performed to determine the level of institutional support for sustainable technologies and to evaluate the level of destabilization policies. Institutions can be altered through collective, often conflicting actions, performed by various actors in the energy sector. Actors can influence their institutional environment through strategic institutional work, or through their framings of energy issues. These influences could be reflected in the direction of the energy transition and the adoption of climate mitigation technologies. Actors' influences are mapped using documentary material and three interview sets, where actors include representatives from industry, research, and academia; policymakers, ENGOs, and citizen activists. Interviewed actors include energy policy actors and CCGS and CO2 mineralization experts. The results demonstrate that the level of destabilization policies in Finland is low, and existing institutions present obstacles for climate change abatement technologies, such as CO2 mineralization and sustainable energy. Dominant framings have defined the observed technologies as having a marginal role in the energy sector, and this has also become cemented into formal institutions, creating obstacles for these technologies. Actors' choices of the activities they engage in are limited by surrounding institutions because actions that do not fit into the institutional environment are more likely to be rejected by others. The collective result of actors' conflicting strategic actions is affected by their positions in the sector, which means that traditional actors, who have strong, institutionally defined positions in the energy system, have more influence over institutional development. The results of this dissertation highlight the complex and interlinked nature of the interactions between actors and institutions and do not support a significant transition. They indicate that, while the energy sector is developing towards carbon neutrality, this development is taking place within existing technological trajectories.",

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author = "Laura Kainiemi",

year = "2020",

language = "English",

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N2 - A significant gap remains between the goals set in the Paris Agreement and the emission reduction measures that have been implemented since. One of the reasons for this policy gap lies in technological trajectories and institutions which have formed to support existing technologies. This dissertation explores the interactions between actors and institutions in order to determine the influences on the deployment of climate abatement technologies and the direction of the energy transition. Institutional environments, which vary from one country to another, are comprised of formal rules and regulations, as well as informal practices, beliefs, and expectations. Countries with centralized energy production tend to have relatively stable institutional environments, which are more resistant to change. This dissertation is focused on Finland, which has a relatively centralized energy sector with well-established institutions. A technological innovation systems (TIS) analysis is performed to determine the level of institutional support for sustainable technologies and to evaluate the level of destabilization policies. Institutions can be altered through collective, often conflicting actions, performed by various actors in the energy sector. Actors can influence their institutional environment through strategic institutional work, or through their framings of energy issues. These influences could be reflected in the direction of the energy transition and the adoption of climate mitigation technologies. Actors' influences are mapped using documentary material and three interview sets, where actors include representatives from industry, research, and academia; policymakers, ENGOs, and citizen activists. Interviewed actors include energy policy actors and CCGS and CO2 mineralization experts. The results demonstrate that the level of destabilization policies in Finland is low, and existing institutions present obstacles for climate change abatement technologies, such as CO2 mineralization and sustainable energy. Dominant framings have defined the observed technologies as having a marginal role in the energy sector, and this has also become cemented into formal institutions, creating obstacles for these technologies. Actors' choices of the activities they engage in are limited by surrounding institutions because actions that do not fit into the institutional environment are more likely to be rejected by others. The collective result of actors' conflicting strategic actions is affected by their positions in the sector, which means that traditional actors, who have strong, institutionally defined positions in the energy system, have more influence over institutional development. The results of this dissertation highlight the complex and interlinked nature of the interactions between actors and institutions and do not support a significant transition. They indicate that, while the energy sector is developing towards carbon neutrality, this development is taking place within existing technological trajectories.

AB - A significant gap remains between the goals set in the Paris Agreement and the emission reduction measures that have been implemented since. One of the reasons for this policy gap lies in technological trajectories and institutions which have formed to support existing technologies. This dissertation explores the interactions between actors and institutions in order to determine the influences on the deployment of climate abatement technologies and the direction of the energy transition. Institutional environments, which vary from one country to another, are comprised of formal rules and regulations, as well as informal practices, beliefs, and expectations. Countries with centralized energy production tend to have relatively stable institutional environments, which are more resistant to change. This dissertation is focused on Finland, which has a relatively centralized energy sector with well-established institutions. A technological innovation systems (TIS) analysis is performed to determine the level of institutional support for sustainable technologies and to evaluate the level of destabilization policies. Institutions can be altered through collective, often conflicting actions, performed by various actors in the energy sector. Actors can influence their institutional environment through strategic institutional work, or through their framings of energy issues. These influences could be reflected in the direction of the energy transition and the adoption of climate mitigation technologies. Actors' influences are mapped using documentary material and three interview sets, where actors include representatives from industry, research, and academia; policymakers, ENGOs, and citizen activists. Interviewed actors include energy policy actors and CCGS and CO2 mineralization experts. The results demonstrate that the level of destabilization policies in Finland is low, and existing institutions present obstacles for climate change abatement technologies, such as CO2 mineralization and sustainable energy. Dominant framings have defined the observed technologies as having a marginal role in the energy sector, and this has also become cemented into formal institutions, creating obstacles for these technologies. Actors' choices of the activities they engage in are limited by surrounding institutions because actions that do not fit into the institutional environment are more likely to be rejected by others. The collective result of actors' conflicting strategic actions is affected by their positions in the sector, which means that traditional actors, who have strong, institutionally defined positions in the energy system, have more influence over institutional development. The results of this dissertation highlight the complex and interlinked nature of the interactions between actors and institutions and do not support a significant transition. They indicate that, while the energy sector is developing towards carbon neutrality, this development is taking place within existing technological trajectories.

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KW - institutions

KW - actors

KW - climate abatement

KW - technology deployment

KW - energiamurros

KW - instituutiot

KW - toimijat

KW - ilmastonmuutoksen torjunta

KW - teknologioiden käyttöönotto

KW - energy transition

KW - institutions

KW - actors

KW - climate abatement

KW - technology deployment

M3 - Doctoral Thesis

SN - 978-952-64-0161-4

T3 - Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS

PB - Aalto University

ER -

Finland in energy transition - The interplay between actors and institutions and the application of climate abatement technologies

Abstrakti

Tutkimusalat

YK:n kestävän kehityksen tavoitteet

Pääsy asiakirjaan

Sormenjälki

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