The role of energy sufficiency in the energy transition and society - Sub-project: Impact chains of sufficiency

Energy system models are established tools for modelling technically feasible and economically advantageous energy transition paths in the interplay of efficiency and sufficiency strategies. Developments that enable a reduction in absolute energy consumption through changes in practices and routines, in the sense of a sufficiency strategy, have hardly been taken into account in the models so far.

The aim of the inter- and transdisciplinary research group is to operationalise sufficiency aspects and strategies for energy system modelling and thus to make action-based parameters and social change representable in energy and climate protection scenarios. The parameters are explicitly backed up with instruments, options for action and changed framework conditions. For this purpose, it is important to better understand societal transformation processes in the context of the energy transition, to sound out the blockades for and potentials of sufficiency policies and, last but not least, to discuss possible externalisation and displacement effects in the sense of global sustainability.

The methods developed for consistent, integrative and qualitatively open scenario building can be applied and further developed by other researchers. In addition, the historical reconstruction and future-oriented scenarios generate transformation knowledge that can be translated into concrete actions. Other key products include databases such as the openly available Sufficiency Policy Database, a database with sufficiency parameters from selected scenario studies, and a Sufficiency Potential Database with quantified emission and energy savings through sufficiency. The knowledge gained by the junior research group on the barriers and potentials of energy sufficiency policies, in particular through the analysis of sufficiency policy impact chains, contributes to political and civil society transformation and social innovation processes.

More information about the project

Status of project

Project is ongoing

Project staff

Funded by

German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Project partners

Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH
Europa-Universität Flensburg

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