Electricity in flux : sociotechnical change in the Dutch electricity system, 1970-2000

This report is part of a project funded by the Dutch National Research Programme on Global Air Pollution and Climate Change (NRP) called MATRIC: Management of Technology Responses to the Climate Challenge. Central to the Matric project is the question "How to modulate the ongoing dynamics of sociotechnical change to the climate change needs?" In the project this question is answered through empirical research in three so-called technological domains: transport and mobility; electricity generation and use; and ecodesign. Electricity in Flux, Sociotechnical Change in the Electricity System, 1970-2000 presents the results of the empirical study on electricity generation and use. The report analyses developments of the past three decades in the electricity system in the perspective of co-evolution of technological and societal development. The electricity system based on fossil-based, large-scale, technology and a relatively closed social network is changing towards a much more diverse system in terms of actors, sources and technologies. This report explains how developments in the institutional set-up, technological base, and societal preferences and problems, underlie this process of change and provide opportunities for modulation of electricity generation and use in a climate friendly direction.