Smart energy transition via experimentation: What have we learned so far?

Eva Heiskanen, Consumer Society Research Centre

University of Helsinki

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Agenda

• Roles of experimentation in the smart energytransition

• Examples of learning from experimentation

• Transfer of learning: tacit and explicit

• Learning from difficulties

• Stenghts and weaknesses of Finnishexperimental culture in smart energy

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Transitions require pilots and demonstrationsfor capabilities and legitimacy

3

Passive house, Darmstadt, 1990

Germany and solar power1 000 roofs program 1990-100 000 roofs program 1999-

Experiments as strategic niches for system innovation

4

Adaptation to markets and userneeds

Tech solutions& skills

Supply and valuechains & networks

Adaptation to regulations and infrastructures

Development of cultural meaning

Societal &environmental impacts

Current Finnish government placedexperimental culture centre stage

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Experimental culture…

Combination of several things

• Randomized control trials of new policy instrumentsand interventions (e.g. basic income)

• Rapid prototyping and testing of new solutions

• Promoting (informal) field experimentation and testingof new solutions in society – recognition that solutionsdo not emerge fully developed from labs = SET definition of experimentation

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There is always learning in experimentation…

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Buzz

Word-of-mouth

Pooledresources

… but perhaps we need to speed up a bit?

Participant capabilities

Learning from field experiments as a means for purposive knowledge creation

• Experimentation in strategic niche management (SNM)

• learning via variation, selection and retention – knowledge

aggregation in global niches for new more sustainable

technologies

• Experimental governance (Stabler, Zeitlin et al.)

• experiments as a way to create new policy via “learning by

doing”

• Experimentation as a new form of knowledge production?

assumes there are systems/mechanisms for knowledge

aggregation

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SET WP4 aims to investigate learningfor smart energy in Finland

• What can Finnish society learn from success and struggles of field

experiments in smart energy (= deployment & mgmt of low-energy

solutions & intermittent energy in the built environment and transport)

• Learning from success how could policy makers more

systematically draw lessons (across combinations of technologies

and contexts in the experiments)

• Learning from struggles and problems what competences are

missing in the surrounding society making solutions difficult to use

• Competences understood broadly – individual and organizational

capabilities but also institutional capabilities (e.g. how urban

planning or permitting organized, how investment calculus

conducted)

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Research design

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• Collected database of 100+ pilot projects and fieldexperiments

• Closer analysis of 20 case studies

Where were comptencesdrawn from?• In-house capabilities• Research• External experts &

specialists• Prior exemplars• Pooling of capabilities

Where and how havelessons learned beenused?• Local learning and

enhanced capacity• Inspiration and

encouragement• Documentation,

dissemination and evaluation

Learning from problems and tensions• What was missing?• Where was special

expertise needed?• What had to be

custom-made?• What solutions were

opportunistic?• Why were there

delays?

Database of 100+ pilot projects and field experiments

11Smart city districtexperiments

Demonstrationbuildings

Transport experimentation

Testing neworganization models

Corporatepilots

energiakokeilut.fi

Work on more detailedcase studies ongoing

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1. Timo Huomo: Mäkkylän Adjutanttitalo Espoossa (smart apartment building)

2. Hanna-Kaisa Erkkilä: Joukon Voiman ja Ekorentin joukkorahoituskampanja (crowdfunding for Evs)

3. Liisa Kallio: Oulun Energian Farmivirta-palvelu (energy company peer-to-peer sales of RES power)

4. Kaisa Matschoss ja Katri Korhonen: Fiksu Kalasatama (smart new district in Helsinki)

5. Eva Heiskanen: Porvoon Skaftkärr (smart new district in Porvoo)

6. Katri Korhonen: Viikin ympäristötalo ja sähkövarasto (smart office building + power storage)

7. Katri Korhonen ja Kaisa Matschoss: Helsingin Ilmastokatu (smart solutions in existing city structures)

8. Jukka Norberg ja Mikko Rask: Case St1 Deep Heat (deep geothermal pilot Espoo)

9. Eva Heiskanen: Tampereen kestävän energian pilotit (series of pilot districts in Tampere)

10. Eva Heiskanen & Kaisa Matschoss: Ammatilliset oppilaitokset energiamurroksen edistäjinä (Piloting by 3 vocational schools/polytechnics)

11. Kaarina Hyvönen: Pääkaupunkiseudun sähköisen liikenteen kokeilut (EV trials in metropolitan region)

First observations: types of learning identified

• Testing functionality and market demand

• Improving solutions

• Transfer to other sites, systematic improvement

• Enhancing skills and confidence – new identities

• Reshaping roles and professional profiles

• Inspiration and trailblazing

• Building new networks

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• New form of societal knowledge production: What

works where, when, how and why (or why not)?

Testing functionality and market demand

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Tampere energy companypiloting two-way district heat

Oulun Energia Farmivirta: brokering small distributed energy

Transfer to other sites, systematic improvement

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Järvenpään Mestariasunnot (socialhousing provider) – series of nZEBbuildings

Joint PV procurement by FinnishEnvironment Institute – better and biggerby the year

Enhancing skills and confidence

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Aurinkovirta jointprocurement in Lappeenranta included learning workshopsfor roof installation

HINKU (carbon-neutralmunicipalities) provided confidencethat sensible cost-effective solutions canbe found

PHOTO :NOORA HASU, AURINKOVIRTA.FI

KUVA:SUOMEN YMPÄRISTÖKESKUS

New competences developed/needed in HINKU in one small municipality trying to reduceGHGs by 80% by 2030

Energy spatialplan Windspeed

measurement

Organization of engaging

energy walks

Development/choice of waste

recyclingsystems

Construction of distance work

facility

Energy efficiencyagreements

Design of smallpellet heating

plants

Energy efficienttransport planning

Development of attractive

ridesharingsystems

Utilization of localagriwaste for

energy

Assessment of energy

alternatives

Investmentcalculus for wind

power

Organization of shared

energysystems

Groundsource heatdrilling and installation

Cost-effectivewaste heat

recovery fromsmall plants

Public procurement of

local food

Joint purchasingof solar panels

Design and implementationof low-carbon

school food

Installation of solar collectors

Energy efficientconstruction

and renovation

Design, construction

and marketingof small districtheat networks

Design and implementation of LED

lighting (buildings, streets, greenhouses)

Reshaping roles and professionalprofiles

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Porvoo Skaftkärr district: concurrent town planning, integration of energy into building permitting and landallocation policy

Ekorent and crowdfunding for shared EVs: consumers as financiers and customers, combining finance and market research

IMAGE:SITRA

PHOTO:EKORENT

Initiating new networks

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Lappeenranta University of Technology: Hydrogen container on green campus – starting point for new sociotechnical system?

Lammaisten Energia Oy/ Satmatic Oy - SUN solar power brandalliance

PHOTO:TEEMU LEINONEN

IMAGE:LAMMAISTEN ENERGIA

Inspiration and trailblazing

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Viikki Environmental House – model publicoffice building

PHOTOS:HELSINGIN KAUPUNKI

Knowledge development in widersociety: what works where, whenand why?

• Relatively fewexamples yet

• Some funding bodieslike ARA HousingFund have evaluatedseries of nZEB pilots

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Transfer of learning

Tacit, embodied, informal transfer

• Ambassadors, study visits, demonstrations, meetings, mobility of people

Semi-formal

• Dissemination of exemplary cases

• Parallel pilots at different sites

• Systematic building on previousexperiences

• Training by participants in previouspilots

Formal

• Documentation, research and evaluation

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Learning from difficulties

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If everything doesn’t go according to plan

The problem might be with the solution beingtested, but perhaps also the capacity of theoperating environment can be enhanced?

Necessary and missing competencesin the operating environment: firstobservations

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Commission-ing

Construc-tion

Design, planning

Communi-cations

Use, maintenance

Marketing, servicedesign

Permits

Combiningsolutions

Interfacesbetweensystems

Decisionmaking

Administra-tive co-

operation

Installation

Usability

! (?)

(a) Embedding of localskills, commitment and confidence

(b) Distributed learningand transfer of lessons to other sites

(c) Learning across pilots and experiments:

Commitment and confidence: we can do this!

Selection of solutions thatwork?

Finnish experimental culture in thecase of smart energy?

Opportunities and challenges in Finnish smart energy experimentation

• Enthusiasm and innovativeness of pilotsand field experiements

• Enhanced capacity of participants

• Scale and range createsconfidence and momentum for futuredevelopment

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• Accelerating knowledgesharing and knowledgespillovers

• Smart energyexperimentation as a form of broader socialknowledge development

• Lots going on: coordination?

• Evaluation, learningfrom difficulties?

Task ahead: Find ways to evaluate and learn that do not undermine commitmentto and confidence in the transition

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We could learn a lot from our strugglesin the field

But highlighting struggles mightundermine commitment and confidence

Task ahead: Find ways to evaluate and learn that do not undermine commitmentto and confidence in the transition

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We could learn a lot from our strugglesin the field

But highlighting struggles mightundermine commitment and confidence

www.smartenergytransition.fi

Kiitos! Thank you!eva.heiskanen@helsinki.fi

www.smartenergytransition.fi