ARTEMIS

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Project description: Scope

For a more sustainable development the increased substitution of modern renewable for conventional non-renewable (fossil, nuclear) energy technologies has to play a paramount role. In the energy sector, in particular, new technological developments, which are expected to lead to a shift towards a more decentralised use of energy technologies calls for a more intense participation of stakeholders. For these reasons renewable energy use is chosen as a most interesting and outstanding application for the mapping and participatory decision framework envisaged.

In addition to the need for substantial gains in energy and material efficiency, the development of renewable energy utilisation is seen to be central for a more sustainable energy supply system. Renewable energy also has an important role to play to create new businesses and local employment, to enhance social and economic cohesion, and to improve the security of supply by reducing the dependence on imported (and mainly fossil) energy sources. However, the increased use of renewable energy sources faces many barriers, partly because of existing market distortions (e.g. subsidisation of nuclear power or coal), technological lock-in situations (e.g. power supply systems based on centralised large-scale electricity generation, transmission schemes that have been heavily subsidised in the past in times of regional monopolistic markets), capital-intensity of many RETs, various sources of uncertainty, regulation and institutions favouring well-established energy technologies, lack of professional training and education, etc.

The use of participatory approaches can help to identify and tackle such barriers, and to better exploit driving factors, in a way that allows to achieve a high level of consensus (and thus the chance for an enhanced durability of decisions towards a more sustainable development).

When developing instruments for the promotion of renewable energy systems a major obstacle to be tackled is the fact that innovative RETs have to be compared with more mature systems. Basically, this will affect the economic appraisal, since some mature systems currently in operation are already amortised, while new concepts require major new investments. However, for a meaningful economic comparison, the discounted expenditures (operating expenditures and investments for production processes/abatement techniques) for a sufficiently long time period (e.g. 20 years) should be calculated. The consideration of this long time horizon allows for a comprehensive comparison, taking into account the technical lifetime of existing and planned installations.

More Description...

Aim The project aims at the use of existing and the development of new tools for the participatory exploration of scenarios concerning their potential to contribute to sustainable development. more ->	Goals With this project we want to contribute to the development of government, business and civil society strategies for a more sustainable energy supply, through a better understanding of the environmental, economic, social and institutional implications of energy production. more ->
Expected Results The expected main results of the project are: more ->	History The foundation of the ARTEMIS project was essentially laid down in 1999. more ->