Of Actors.pdf (510.18 kB)
Of actors, cities and energy systems: advancing the transformative potential of urban electrification
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 23:41 authored by Patricia Romero-Lankao, Alana Wilson, Joshua Sperling, Clark Miller, Daniel Zimny-Schmitt, Benjamin SovacoolBenjamin Sovacool, Chris Gearhart, Matteo Muratori, Morgan Bazilian, Daniel Zünd, Stan Young, Marilyn Brown, Doug ArentThe electrification of transportation and the integration of electric vehicles (EVs) with buildings connected to clean grids has been touted as one of the key solutions to the global decarbonization challenge. Cities are on the frontlines of current and future electrification, as they depend on and drive electricity generation, distribution, and use. City actors also occupy a central role in the actions to enable electrification to support energy transitions in efficient, equitable, environmentally sound, and resilient ways. Currently, however, research and development on the interactions between actors, cities and energy systems is predominantly conducted in disciplinary siloes. This topical review analyzes the transformational potential of urban electrification. It focuses on efforts to electrify transportation and integrate EVs with buildings connected to a clean grid. We find that actions in these area are driving change; they are adopted by wealthier populations and on an experimental basis by specific communities. Their larger-scale growth is constrained by institutional, behavioral, and infrastructural factors. We also find that existing siloed disciplinary approaches are often incompatible with advancing holistic research. To achieve that, divergent communities of scholars need to come together to integrate their research and create broader perspectives. Through incorporation of the social sciences, these perspectives need to consider the societal limits and potentials brought to bear by human behavior and decision making. Only then can urban electrification be understood as the empirically rich and socially complex topic that it is. And only with this understanding will innovations and smart policy actions be able to tap into the transformational potential of urban electrification.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Progress in EnergyISSN
2516-1083Publisher
IOP PublishingExternal DOI
Issue
3Volume
3Page range
1-15Article number
a032002Department affiliated with
- SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2021-04-22First Open Access (FOA) Date
2022-05-07First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2021-04-22Usage metrics
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