Project description
Understanding social tipping dynamics in the energy transition
Current models for energy transition scenarios do not consider the positive results of the interactions between civil society and energy transitions. However, these interactions can serve as important drivers and barriers to energy transitions. In addition, they are central in stimulating the social tipping dynamics that can accelerate the energy transition. A systematic understanding of the mechanisms underlying social tipping dynamics and their potential policy leverage is missing. The EU-funded FAST project will explain and model social tipping dynamics and interventions in energy transitions. The project will use a new combination of bottom-up agent-based modelling and top down diffusion modelling to capture the interactions in sociotechnical systems that create tipping dynamics.
Objective
Staying within a maximum global warming of 1.5 degrees requires an acceleration of the transition to a low carbon society. Current theory views such sustainability transitions as inevitably slow as they require interdependent changes throughout socio-technical systems. The observation that energy transition scenarios systematically underestimate the diffusion of key technologies challenges this view. Existing models that form the basis for energy transition scenarios do not include the positive feedbacks resulting from the interactions between civil society and energy transitions. Yet these interactions have been identified as important drivers and barriers of energy transitions, and as crucial in triggering the social tipping dynamics that can accelerate the energy transition. Social tipping dynamics in energy transitions occur when a small change or intervention has a large effect on emission reductions. To date, some examples of social tipping dynamics have been identified, but both a systematic understanding of the mechanisms underlying social tipping dynamics and an evaluation of their potential policy leverage is missing.
The overall objective of the FAST project is to explain and model social tipping dynamics and interventions in energy transitions.
This requires a model that explains how the social factors influencing sustainability transitions scale up to realize social tipping dynamics. To this end I will use a novel combination of bottom-up agent-based modelling and top-down diffusion modelling to capture the interactions in socio-technical systems that create tipping dynamics. This will bridge the qualitative field of sustainability transitions and the quantitative field of energy transitions modelling. A team consisting of the PI, 3 PhD students, a postdoc and a research assistant will conduct the proposed study over five years. This is the first study that systematically integrates social tipping dynamics in quantitative models of energy transitions.
Keywords
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) ERC-2021-COG
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5612 AE Eindhoven
Netherlands
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