Sociotechnical typologies for national energy transitions

The energy landscape is changing dramatically. It is populated by many different and discrete energy transitions happening simultaneously in across different sectors, with dynamically different drivers, and across varying locations. This Perspective proposes a new three-part categorization to help better understand the myriad sociotechnical changes being witnessed, which cut across user and market behaviour as well as institutions and technologies. We express energy transitions in three categories: Interim energy transitions, shaped by policies without necessarily public acceptance, mostly within non-democratic regimes. Deliberate energy transitions, driven by citizen-driven change without supporting policies. Transformative energy transitions stem from a combination of policy and citizen-driven change. The degree of permanence of these three transition types depends on the real and perceived benefits to energy users, sustained adoption of technology, and the regulatory regime. However, what is energy transition and why should we promote it?