Re-scaling governance for decarbonisation: co-ordinating decentralised energy systems

为了避免气候变化的最严重影响，需要迅速转向清洁、可再生能源系统。英国的能源体系正在经历重大变化，朝着更加分散、分散和灵活的电力、热力和交通运输体系发展。对于当前自上而下、集中化的运营和治理体系来说，前进的方向是具有挑战性的，这些转变正导致人们认识到，更加本地化的能源系统资源、参与者和机构正变得越来越重要。政府的清洁增长战略明确承认，地方“通过其管理土地、建筑、水、废物和交通的政策的独特地位，处于推动减排的最佳地位”(英国政府，2017年，第118页)，并且越来越重视地方协调在整个系统、综合脱碳方法中的作用(Tingey，Webb和Hawkey，2017年；能源系统弹射器，2018b)。与此同时，一些地方当局正在显示出明显的领导力，最近宣布的“气候紧急状态”就是明证(见https://climateemergency.uk/)，雄心勃勃的碳中和目标和清洁能源承诺)。然而，尽管在低碳能源方面有广泛的地方试验，但塑造和协调地方能源系统的治理结构有限(Cowell，Ellis和Strachan，2017)。配电网络运营商的角色将发生转变，因为他们成为更积极的网络管理者和灵活性的推动者，地方当局对能源的行动在全国各地差异很大，权力下放交易和地方企业伙伴关系都越来越关注能源。认识到这些多重发展，以及对当地能源的日益战略关注，该奖学金旨在探索地方行为者在能源系统中的角色正在如何变化，当前的治理、政策和监管安排在多大程度上支持最适当的行为者在适当规模下采取行动，以及地方、地区和国家政府之间的行动应如何最好地协调。作为该研究金的一部分，将出版三本学术出版物，重点是更全面地理解不同规模的参与者和话语促成和制约机构变革的过程。具体而言，将整合关于能源体系改革和地方治理调整的辩论，以探索如何改变角色、关系和机构，以支持一个非碳化、分散化的能源体系。最终，该研究金寻求进一步辩论城市政治和能源系统变革的实践，目的是支持这种规模的更迅速和更有重点的实践变革。这些文件的编写，以及一次专家圆桌会议，将为政策简报的制定提供信息，力求综合对城市能源过渡的最新了解，并就如何发展地方治理关系提出政策相关建议。这份简报将通过专题介绍和与国家和地方政策制定者的会议进行传播。

To avoid the worst impacts of climate change a rapid shift to clean, renewable energy systems is required. The energy system in the UK is undergoing significant change towards a more distributed, decentralised and flexible system across electricity, heat and transport. The direction of travel is challenging for the current top down, centralised system of operation and governance and these shifts are leading to recognition that more localised energy system resources, actors and institutions are becoming increasingly important. The Government's Clean Growth Strategy explicitly recognises that local areas 'are best placed to drive emission reductions through their unique position of managing policy on land, buildings, water, waste and transport' (HM Government, 2017, p. 118) and there is increasing focus on the role of local coordination in whole system, integrated approaches to decarbonisation (Tingey, Webb and Hawkey, 2017; Energy Systems Catapult, 2018b). At the same time some local authorities are showing clear leadership, as evidenced by recent declarations of 'climate emergencies' (see https://climateemergency.uk/), ambitious carbon neutrality targets, and clean energy pledges. However, although there is extensive local experimentation in low carbon energy, governance structures to shape and co-ordinate local energy systems are limited (Cowell, Ellis and Strachan, 2017). The role of distribution network operators is set to transform as they become more active managers of networks and enablers of flexibility, local authority action on energy varies greatly across the country, and both devolution deals and Local Enterprise Partnerships are increasingly focussing on energy. Recognising these multiple developments, and the increasing strategic focus on local energy, this fellowship seeks to explore how the role of local actors in energy systems is changing, the extent to which current governance, policy and regulatory arrangements support action by the most appropriate actors at the right scale, and how action between local, regional and national governments should be best coordinated.Three academic publications will be produced as part of this fellowship which focus on developing a fuller understanding of the processes by which institutional change is enabled and constrained by actors and discourses at different scales. Specifically debates on energy system change and local governance rescaling will be integrated to explore how roles, relationships and institutions can change to support a decarbonised, decentralised energy system. Ultimately the fellowship seeks to further debates of the urban politics and practices of energy system change with the objective of supporting more rapid and focussed practice change at this scale. The production of these papers, together with an expert roundtable event, will inform the development of a policy briefing which seeks to synthesise state of the art understanding of urban energy transitions and provide policy relevant recommendations on how sub-national governance relationships need to develop. This briefing will be disseminated through presentations and meetings with national and local policymakers.