A typology for unpacking the diversity of social innovation in energy transitions

• DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2022.102513
• Publication Date: 2022-01-26T00:28:48Z
• Authors: Julia M. Wittmayer; Sabine Hielscher; Maria Fraaije; Flor Avelino; Karoline Rogge
• Keywords: Unpacking; Transformative Learning; Structure and agency

Academic research and policy have focused on sustainable energy transitions for addressing the societal challenge of climate change a long time, but concept ‘social innovation’ has only been recently taken up. This refers to different social phenomena relating changes in socio-technical systems. Moving beyond narrow perspectives innovation, this article asks how we can capture diversity taking example sector. It proposes comprehensive typology innovation that allows phenomenon its empirical diversity, more systematically investigate processes their contributions making systems sustainable. The is based conceptual understanding (SIE) as comprising changing relations involving new ways doing, thinking and/or organising energy. empirically grounded mapping analysing 500 SIE-initiatives across eight European countries. Such conceptually-informed empirically-grounded SIE sheds light ‘social’ an object agency multitude actors, types activities pursued by system actors. also opens possibility publicly discuss diverse innovations interdependencies, (un)desirability, well transformative potentials transitions.