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CenSES annual report 2011
10
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Local policy on technology has rarely been a topic of
research, despite the fact that local authorities play
an important role in several areas related to energy
and climate research. Municipalities develop and
plan, they own and use buildings, and are instruct-
ed by central authorities to meet national goals for
renewable energy.
PhD candidate Bente Johnsen Rygg at Sogn og Fjor-
dane University College/NTNU has studied innova-
tion in bioenergy in 14 Norwegian municipalities.
Shehaslookedatwhat strategiesthelocalauthorities
use to encourage innovation, how they get involved,
what policies they employ, who the participants are,
and what the motives are behind the municipalities’
involvement.
The study shows that district heating is the most
widely used technology to promote greater use of
renewable energy in the municipalities, since dis-
RA1 consists of four work packages:
- WP1 Comparative analysis of governance and
public policy for energy systems
- WP2 Assessment of national policy instruments
for promoting sustainable energy
- WP3 Transition pathways from an oil and gas
economy to a low-emission economy with a
focus on emerging technologies
- WP4 Innovations and learning in energy policy
Research in 2012
The Climate Agreement in 2008 implied consider-
able R&D initiatives in relation to CCS and new re-
newables through the creation of numerous new
research centres. This underlines how R&D and in-
novation perhaps has become the most central tool
in climate policy, but also that R&D and innovation
has evolved as a main tool of energy policy. Con-
trol over grid construction represent another tool,
which has become visible through the public issue
RA1 Policy Making and Transition Strategies
of the security of energy supply and the so called
“electricity crisis”. The politicians were in public de-
bate given responsibility for the situation, in spite of
their passive role that in many ways had been given
to them through the Energy Act. The energy compa-
nies were supposed to ensure an increased produc-
tion of electricity. As the problems of securing ener-
gy supply is in the process of being solved, it is due
to political authorities realizing that control over
grid construction as a tool was available to them.
Another particular line of research on policy tools,
constituting a part of Robert Jomisko’s PhD work,
has focused on development and implementation
of Official Norwegian Reports. One of the aims has
been to empirically examine how different actors in
sustainable energy and climate change policy mak-
ing collect and use information to develop policy
measures and reforms. Although the policy-making
processes may appear democratic in content when
taken at face value, the data implies high level
ministries’ selective use of scientifically grounded
fact based knowledge. The data also suggests fact-
finding mission results may be largely ignored if
they do not align with current political strategy.
trict heating can be developed gradually and uti-
lizes local resources and involve local participants.
Most of the municipalities in the study have taken
initiative to develop bioenergy, on their own or with
partners.
Land-use planning and energy planning, as well as
mandatoryhook-up to thedistrict heating, appear to
be the most common policy measures. The motives
areoften linkedtoclimateandemissions, butalsothe
desire to develop trade and increase employment
and activity in the area. The use of local resources is
important for smaller municipalities and leads to
the creation of local businesses.
Municipalities do not provide direct financial
support for energy production, but they provide
information and facilitation as well as encouraging
the use of local resources and local cooperation. The
municipality can also contribute by creating needs
and regulating the local market.
Municipalities play a key role in bioenergy innovation