Mini essay Practice Theory and Sustainability Transitions, grade: 8,5 (ENP-37803)
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Course
Sustainable Technology Development (ENP37803)
Institution
Wageningen University (WUR)
An essay for which I have achieved a 8,5. The assignment was as follows:
In this mini-essay you explain and evaluate the relevance of a Practice Theory perspective for
understanding the transition to more sustainable socio-technical systems.
Please choose one of the following sociotechnical sy...
EVERYDAY PRACTICES IN THE TRANSITION TO A
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SYSTEM
A SOCIAL PRACTICES THEORY PERSPECTIVE
Student name
Student number
Bachelor of Science Tourism
Wageningen University & Research
Sustainable Technology Development
ENP-37803
Teacher name
Teacher Name
23-02-2022
, Introduction
In the current socio-technical energy system in the Netherlands, a fossil-fuel based regime
dominates, with a landscape consisting for a large share of climate change (Kern & Smith, 2008). Due
to this landscape, there is a need for more sustainable ways of energy generation and use. Increasingly,
windmills, hydroelectric power stations, and solar panels are installed throughout the Netherlands. In
the beginning, they were solely used in specific niches. Through increased implementation,
innovation, and development of these technologies, they are increasingly competing with the current
dominant regime. As such, a socio-technical change to a more sustainable energy system is currently
at its acceleration phase, though optimalizations are necessary. Moreover, the energy system in the
Netherlands is in desperate need for change. Due to the rising prices of gas and energy and insufficient
compensation from the government (NOS, 2022; NOS, 2021), an increasing share of the Dutch
population is living in so-called “energy poverty” (RTL Nieuws, 2021). These people can no longer
pay the rising energy bill, leaving them unable to properly heat their house (Roelands, 2022; Van
Dinther, 2021; Van Hooft, 2021). People are also lacking money to sufficiently insulate their houses to
save on energy costs, especially those already living in energy poverty. Additionally, the
aforementioned development and implementation of the sustainable technologies are the primary
causes for creating a crack in the current fossil-fuel based regime, which leads to a technical transition
from the current regime to a green-energy based regime, and will ultimately change the landscape by
slowing down or even combatting climate change.
The most visible consequences of the rising energy bills are at the household and everyday
level, such as people being forced to cut back on food expenses in order to properly heat their home
and therefore having to decide between two basic needs. As Social Practice Theory, as described by
Elizabeth Shove, argues that the everyday is the basis for (social) transformation (Shove et al., 2012),
this theory can be well applied in this context. Therefore, this essay is built around the following
question:
In what ways does a practice theory perspective enable us to examine the role of social practices at
the everyday-level in the transition to a more sustainable energy system?
Practice Theory Perspective
Social Practice Theory takes social practices as its basic unit for research, which refer to
“everyday practices and the way these are typically and habitually performed in (much of) a society”
(Holtz, 2014, p. 1). Example of such practices in relation to the aforementioned context are showering
with warm water or turning on the heating system at home when you get out of bed. These practices
seem rather insignificant, but according to Social Practice Theory, they are the basis for social change
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