A starting point for this course is the notion that energy systems in society can only be understood if they are regarded as socio-technical systems which, in addition to the technical components also comprise organizations that build, run and maintain them, and institutional framework consisting of formal and informal regulations for what different actors are allowed to do. These regulations in turn affect ownership structures and organizational forms.
The socio-technical shaping of energy systems differs significantly between different countries. In the U.S. for example, energy systems have often been controlled by private companies, whereas municipal and state-owned companies played a prominent role in many European countries. It also differs between different energy systems within a country, and also changes over time. In many countries a so-called deregulation of important energy systems has taken place during the last two decades.
The aim of this course is to teach students how to analyze energy systems as being socio-technical systems, how they have been established, developed and changed in the past and how they may change in the future. The Swedish innovation system within the energy field will be analyzed in particular, and the political and institutional conditions which have created this. Also the co-operation between energy systems, when it comes to competition as well as collaboration, will be analyzed.
Today several energy systems have a trans-national character, and a major emphasis will be placed on the interweaving and coordination taking place across national borders. Moreover geopolitical consequences of transnational energy systems will be studied, e.g. the conflicts regarding Europe's gas supplies and its dependence on Russian (former Soviet) gas supplies.
An additional aim is to analyze energy system at a local level, not the least how energy usage, especially in households, has changed over time.