Scalar biases in solar photovoltaic uptake : Socio-materiality regulatory inertia and politics
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https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3054989Utgivelsesdato
2021Metadata
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Originalversjon
Sareen, S. (2021). Scalar biases in solar photovoltaic uptake: Socio-materiality, regulatory inertia and politics. In Dilemmas of Energy Transitions in the Global South. Routledge, pp. 78-92. 10.4324/9780367486457-5Sammendrag
Solar photovoltaic (PV) rollout constitutes a rapid global energy transition. Driven by cost reductions, the technology supports climate mitigation in regions with high energy development levels like Europe and new energy capacity in economies like India. Consequent pressure for rapid rollout has attendant justice effects. This chapter adopts a methodological approach from a study of such effects in two Indian states to explore solar rollout governance in Portugal. The need to achieve national targets, combined with barriers to small-scale projects, drives scalar biases. Based on an ethnographic study, the chapter discusses three drivers of scalar biases in solar rollout: (i) the socio-materiality of energy infrastructure, (ii) regulatory inertia and path dependence and (iii) political influence on energy development. These drivers apply to multi-scalar governance. They introduce scalar biases in aspects that condition solar rollout, such as grid transmission infrastructure investments, energy community legislation and solar auctions. The chapter argues for cross-fertilising such insights, notably from global South contexts that have led these developments to global North contexts. This can inform energy policies on how to balance rapid solar rollout with salutary justice effects. This is especially important in financially constrained energy sectors that are common in many solar rollout contexts.