Technology scale and supply chains in a secure, affordable and low carbon energy transition
By: Richard Hoggett
In: Applied Energy
Abstract:
This research explores the relationship between technology scale, energy security and decarbonisation within the UK energy system. There is considerable uncertainty about how best to deliver on these goals for energy policy, but a focus on supply chains and their resilience can provide useful insights into the problems uncertainty causes. Technology scale is central to this, and through an analysis of the supply chains of nuclear power and solar photovoltaics, it is suggested that smaller scale technologies are more likely to support and enable a secure, low carbon energy transition. This is because their supply chains are less complex, show more flexibility and adaptability, and can quickly respond to changes within an energy system, and as such they are more resilient than large scale technologies. These characteristics are likely to become increasingly important in a rapidly changing energy system, and prioritising those technologies that demonstrate resilience, flexibility and adaptability will better enable a transition that is rapid, sustainable, secure and affordable.
Keywords: Technology scale; Resilience; Energy security; Supply chains; Nuclear power; PV
Highlights:
- Energy systems need to decarbonise, provide security and remain affordable.
- There is uncertainty over which technologies will best enable this to happen.
- A strategy to deal with uncertainty is to assess a technologies ability to show resilience, flexibility and adaptability.
- Scale is important and smaller scale technologies are like to display the above characteristics.
- Smaller scale technologies are therefore more likely to enable a sustainable, secure, and affordable energy transition.
Contact: r.d.hoggett@exeter.ac.uk
Date: December 2013
This is an Open Access article and can be downloaded from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261913009902
Posted by: rhoggett
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