Print Email Facebook Twitter Viability of Self-Governance in Community Energy Systems: Structuring an Approach for Assessment Title Viability of Self-Governance in Community Energy Systems: Structuring an Approach for Assessment Author Cayford, T.J. Scholten, D.J. Faculty Technology, Policy and Management Department Values Technology and Innovation Date 2014-06-18 Abstract This paper sets out to formulate a structured approach to assist in analyzing the viability of self-governance in community energy systems. Existing research in self-governance in the framework of socio-ecological systems provides a basis for analysis in applications concerning socio-technical systems, but more than a basis is needed. Although the socio-ecological system framework can easily be `translated` to the socio-technical system, operationalizing the ecological variables in the technical context is troublesome. Therefore, a new theoretical approach is proposed employing two dimensions of variables: social and technical complexity. In laying out multiple different configurations of energy systems along these dimensions, a hypothesis is given, proposing an increasing need for polycentric governance corresponding to increasing social and technical exigency. Exploring possible system configurations along these dimensions leads to an important nuance. The viability of self-governance in community energy systems may lie in the communities’ abilities to be adaptive to coordinate with different governance circles; self-governance can take many different forms. A method of classification of different types of self-governance, based on the degrees of social and technical complexity, is therefore conceived. Local biogas networks are considered to be one possibility where self-governance might be a feasible and desirable governance structure. We therefore refer periodically to a biogas arrangement to illustrate the proposed approach. Subject community energy systempolycentricityself-governancesocial and technical exigencysocio-ecological systemssocio-technical systems To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ce6934fe-1df8-4fcb-8fe6-cc1b34b0fae7 Source WOW5: 5th Ostrom Workshop, Bloomington, USA, 18-21 Juni 2014 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type conference paper Rights (c) 2015 The Author(s) Files PDF 317489.pdf 367.44 KB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:ce6934fe-1df8-4fcb-8fe6-cc1b34b0fae7/datastream/OBJ/view