Conceptualizing Germany’s Energy Transition

This is the first book to explore ways of conceptualizing Germany’s ongoing energy transition. Although widely acclaimed in policy and research circles worldwide, the Energiewende is poorly understood in terms of social science scholarship. There is an urgent need to delve beyond descriptive accounts of policy implementation and contestation in order to unpack the deeper issues at play in what has been termed a 'grand societal transformation.' The authors approach this in three ways: First, they select and characterize conceptual approaches suited to interpreting the reordering of institutional arrangements, socio-material configurations, power relations and spatial structures of energy systems in Germany and beyond. Second, they assess the value of these concepts in describing and explaining energy transitions, pinpointing their relative strengths and weaknesses and exploring areas of complementarity and incompatibility. Third, they illustrate how these concepts can be applied – individually and in combination – to enrich empirical research of Germany’s energy transition.  

Ludger Gailing is deputy head of the research department of Institutional Change and Regional Public Goods at the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS), Germany. In his work he draws on concepts relating to governance and institutional theories, constructivist perspectives on space and place, governmentality and socio-materiality. Current research foci include energy transitions and landscape policies.

Timothy Moss is head of the research department of Institutional Change and Regional Public Goods at the Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS), Germany. His research interests span the governance of urban infrastructures past and present, the spatial organization of water and energy and the institutional dynamics of resource use in cities and regions.        

“This important book breaks new ground in theorising low carbon transitions, casting fresh conceptual light on the nature of energy transitions and their spatial, material and political dimensions.” (Harriet Bulkeley, Department of Geography, Durham University, UK)

“A theoretically grounded, concise and topical account of the spatial and infrastructural dynamics that accompany Germany’s momentous efforts to transform its energy sector towards a more climate-friendly future.” (Stefan Bouzarovski, Director of the Centre for Urban Resilience and Energy, University of Manchester, UK)

“This book is a great contribution, developing conceptual tools to better understand and analyze the socio-material entanglements shaping energy transitions.” (Harald Rohracher, Professor of Technology and Social Change, Linköping University, Sweden)