Publications
Energy systems are complex. Implications for science and for policy PhD Thesis
Felice, Louisa Jane Di
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2021.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Complexity, Energy, EU Policy
@phdthesis{DiFelice2021a,
title = {Energy systems are complex. Implications for science and for policy},
author = {Louisa Jane Di Felice},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/671906},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
pages = {195},
school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},
abstract = {This thesis investigates the implications of complexity for the production of models of social-ecological systems and for the science-policy interface. I focus on energy policy in the European Union (EU), through case studies developed within the Horizon 2020 project MAGIC. The way I refer to complexity builds on the work of Robert Rosen, who defined a complex system as one which can be described in non-equivalent and non-reducible ways. This powerful definition, which I refer to as Rosennian (or relational) complexity, calls for deep reflections on the way scientific knowledge is used to inform our image of the world and how we act upon that image. It focuses on the role played by observers in perceiving systems and in modelling them, through devices that I refer to as narratives. Narratives allow reducing the information space of complex reality into a manageable storyline which can be used to guide action, establishing causal patterns across impredicative processes operating at different scales. As such, they are central both to science and to policymaking. Narratives cannot be true or false, only adequate or obsolete with respect to the perception of a system. Through a series of case studies, I develop the tools needed to describe energy systems across multiple scales, question whether narratives underpinning EU energy policy are adequate in addressing their concerns and inspect the role played by academia in shaping those narratives. The methodological implications of modelling energy systems at the science-policy interface are addressed through a case study of Catalonia's energy sector. Building on hierarchy theory, the region's energy system is described in structural terms and in functional ones, showing how a functional description is useful in guiding policy questions. By mapping nexus dimensions across hierarchical levels, this first case study provides the tools to generate nexus assessments in open and transparent ways. In the second case study, a collaboration with Zora Kovacic, I focus on energy security, one of the pillars of the EU's Energy Union. Inspecting the multiple definitions and dimensions connected with energy security in the academic literature, we argue that the ambiguity of the term is functional in policymaking and is not a matter to be solved with increased definitional clarity. Rather, ambiguity is embedded in complexity. This suggests that the production of definitions and indicators of energy security in academia may not be useful to policy. The third case study analyses the narratives surrounding electric vehicles in the EU. Policy narratives in EU documents are identified through a text analysis and mapped across hierarchical levels. A taxonomy to classify policy narratives is introduced, making the distinction between normative narratives, justification narratives and explanation narratives. Through a review of existing studies and reports, the quality of the constellation of narratives surrounding electric vehicles is inspected, focusing on the relationship between normative and justification narratives. Results show how this relationship is uncertain at best. Focusing on the role played by science in informing policy, they point to the need of recognising the way in which policy narratives affect and are affected by academic ones. The fourth and most recent case study is an expansion of the first one, presented here as exploratory work in progress. The energy metabolisms of Spain, Sweden and the EU are described through holarchies, including each branch of the energy system (electricity, heat, gas and fuels). This multi-scale mapping is used to discuss two issues that are central to EU energy policy: decarbonisation and externalisation. I question EU decarbonisation narratives and highlight uncomfortable knowledge regarding the reliance of the EU's energy sector on imports.},
keywords = {Complexity, Energy, EU Policy},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
This thesis investigates the implications of complexity for the production of models of social-ecological systems and for the science-policy interface. I focus on energy policy in the European Union (EU), through case studies developed within the Horizon 2020 project MAGIC. The way I refer to complexity builds on the work of Robert Rosen, who defined a complex system as one which can be described in non-equivalent and non-reducible ways. This powerful definition, which I refer to as Rosennian (or relational) complexity, calls for deep reflections on the way scientific knowledge is used to inform our image of the world and how we act upon that image. It focuses on the role played by observers in perceiving systems and in modelling them, through devices that I refer to as narratives. Narratives allow reducing the information space of complex reality into a manageable storyline which can be used to guide action, establishing causal patterns across impredicative processes operating at different scales. As such, they are central both to science and to policymaking. Narratives cannot be true or false, only adequate or obsolete with respect to the perception of a system. Through a series of case studies, I develop the tools needed to describe energy systems across multiple scales, question whether narratives underpinning EU energy policy are adequate in addressing their concerns and inspect the role played by academia in shaping those narratives. The methodological implications of modelling energy systems at the science-policy interface are addressed through a case study of Catalonia's energy sector. Building on hierarchy theory, the region's energy system is described in structural terms and in functional ones, showing how a functional description is useful in guiding policy questions. By mapping nexus dimensions across hierarchical levels, this first case study provides the tools to generate nexus assessments in open and transparent ways. In the second case study, a collaboration with Zora Kovacic, I focus on energy security, one of the pillars of the EU's Energy Union. Inspecting the multiple definitions and dimensions connected with energy security in the academic literature, we argue that the ambiguity of the term is functional in policymaking and is not a matter to be solved with increased definitional clarity. Rather, ambiguity is embedded in complexity. This suggests that the production of definitions and indicators of energy security in academia may not be useful to policy. The third case study analyses the narratives surrounding electric vehicles in the EU. Policy narratives in EU documents are identified through a text analysis and mapped across hierarchical levels. A taxonomy to classify policy narratives is introduced, making the distinction between normative narratives, justification narratives and explanation narratives. Through a review of existing studies and reports, the quality of the constellation of narratives surrounding electric vehicles is inspected, focusing on the relationship between normative and justification narratives. Results show how this relationship is uncertain at best. Focusing on the role played by science in informing policy, they point to the need of recognising the way in which policy narratives affect and are affected by academic ones. The fourth and most recent case study is an expansion of the first one, presented here as exploratory work in progress. The energy metabolisms of Spain, Sweden and the EU are described through holarchies, including each branch of the energy system (electricity, heat, gas and fuels). This multi-scale mapping is used to discuss two issues that are central to EU energy policy: decarbonisation and externalisation. I question EU decarbonisation narratives and highlight uncomfortable knowledge regarding the reliance of the EU's energy sector on imports.
AGAUR Grant ID 2017 SGR 230 / Copyright © 2023