We are happy to invite you to attend the symposium "Social innovation: next steps in the energy transition"

The sustainable energy transition has a radical - even disruptive - impact on the functioning of energy systems. Besides technological change, it causes and requires major social, behavioural, organisational, and institutional change. The transition comes with many novelties, yet the disruptive impact is not entirely clear. Relevant issues in this regard include new energy sources, new technologies, new roles for producers, grid operators, consumers and citizens, new energy services, new business models, smart grids, novel governance arrangements and policies, but also new concerns and questions regarding justice and inclusiveness.

To design and implement systems that are acceptable from both a technical and societal perspective, a thorough understanding of socio-technical energy systems is required. This includes creating specific knowledge on the relation between the technical and social elements of energy systems and asks for social innovation (next to technical innovation). Here, the concept of social innovation - new ideas that work in meeting social goals (Mulgan, 2007) - is contextualised in the domain of sustainable energy transitions. More specifically, it can also be understood as, “Innovations that are social in their means and contribute to the low carbon energy transition, civic empowerment and social goals on the general wellbeing of communities” (Hoppe & De Vries, 2019).

During this conference, the main question is how social innovation and technology can influence the sustainable transition or energy systems, and how technology and social innovation may mutually influence one another.

Topics

The conference will be held online and is open to a wide audience. We invite practitioners and scientists from all over the world to share their research findings, government plans and (industrial) developments in the field of social innovation and the energy transition and engage in lively debates. Topics and programm that will be addressed during the conference are here.

Participation in this online conference is free but registration is mandatory. If you want to register, please click here.