Existential Sustainability and The Energy Transition

Author: Alice Jansson

This paper is an attempt to link the concept of Existential Sustainability to research within the field of electrical power systems modelling. This is specifically done in the context of electrification and the energy transition. In extension, this implies a connection between the fields of humanities and technology. The strategy of the energy transition is a response to the issue of climate change as an effect of carbon emissions and the use of fossil fuels. The technological solution to the issue is a fast transition from fossil fuels to carbon-free energy sources. 

However, despite a long history of knowledge of climate change, and the presence of the technology needed, the transition has not started on a global scale. This paper discusses the possibility and potential gain from the inclusion of existential perspectives into the discourse on technological solutions for sustainability. The issue of climate change and the suggested solution in the form of an energy transition is presented. Existential concepts are then presented and applied to the energy transition and the field of electric power systems. This is done in a discussion around drivers of the energy transition, as well as a consideration of how the concept of sense of place depends on and can affect energy consumption and generation. Finally, the potential use of these concepts within existential sustainability in the technical fields of electrical power systems and the energy transition are briefly discussed.

Climate Change and the Energy Transition

The issue considered in this text is climate change as an effect of greenhouse gas emissions. Specifi- cally, the focus lies on the emission of carbon dioxide from the combustion of fossil fuels for energy and industrial uses. Figure 1 from the 2022 report on CO2 emissions by the International Energy Agency [1] shows the global emissions of CO2 from energy combustion and industrial processes from 1900 to 2022. There is today global recognition that the emissions of greenhouse gases need to stop in order to slow down the rate of global warming.

According to the Energy Outlook Report by DNV in 2023 [2], the largest sector of energy-related CO2 emissions is the power sector (40% of global emissions) followed by the transport sector (25% of global emissions). A possible solution to remove the carbon emissions is to move from fossil fuel- based energy to fossil-free energy sources. This is referred to as the energy transition. A key outcome from DNV’s analysis of the energy sector is that on a global scale, the transition from fossil fuels to carbon-free options has not yet started. Globally, carbon emissions are still increasing. Despite this harsh reality, both DNV and the International Energy Agency, among others, have published reports pointing toward possible transition routes to a carbon-free, or at least carbon-neutral, future. For the latest pathway reports, see [3] and [4].

In Sweden, the sectors where the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions are emitted are industry (34%), and transport (30%). These emissions are the result of the burning of fossil fuels. The national strategy is then to remove these emissions by a transition from fossil fuels to fossil-free ones. When looking at the electric power production in Sweden, it is clear that the electricity already comes from carbon emission-free resources. See for example figure 2 from the Swedish Energy Agency report Energil¨aget 2023 [5], showing the sources of net electricity production in Sweden. Only a small portion of combined heat and power (CHP) sources are based on fossil fuels. The strategy in Sweden is then to a large extent to focus the energy transition on the transition from fossil fuels to electricity, so called electrification.

Figure 2: Sources of net electricity production in Sweden, from Swedish Energy Agency.

Electrification is already ongoing in Sweden and is especially noticeable in the transport sector. In less than 10 years, the share of chargeable cars in the Swedish car fleet has reached 11 %, with a constantly accelerating speed of uptake [6]. Politically, electrification is part of the climate packages of both Sweden and the EU. The electrification strategy is also visible within Swedish industry, see for example the electrification projects of heavy transport at Scania [7] or of green steel at SSAB [8].

At the same time that electrification and the energy transition are being proposed to solve the climate issue in Sweden, it is clear that the reasons behind the Swedish greenhouse gas emissions run deeper than just the choice of energy source. Figure 3 shows the energy use per capita in 2022 in Sweden, compared to the average energy use per capita per continent, taken from [9]. The issue of overuse and unequal division of resources on a global scale has been discussed in the fields of geography, economics, and political science, for example, by Dorninger et al. [10] but is rarely brought up in the field of technology.

Drivers and pace of the energy transition

Electrification and the energy transition stand on the basis on the idea that the climate crisis can be solved by technological solutions combined with policies for implementation and economic competition. This can be well summed up in an interview with Anna Borg, the CEO of Vattenfall, in Time Magazine [11];

I am convinced that it is possible to live a modern, comfortable life with an acceptable sustainability footprint, when we take on the climate challenge together. This means: a common understanding of the urgency, the challenge, and the business opportunities.

The key point of this quote, and in the essence of the energy transition, is that (in a Swedish perspective) we can continue the way we are living and still manage the climate crisis. In this sense, we are removing the focus from questions such as over-consumption of resources and unsustainable practices in society to a focus on technological advancement. Brissman [12] discusses the concept of shifting baselines as the inability to see ecological changes due to our tendency to perceive the current state as normalcy, or the way it has always been. Perhaps this concept can be applied here, to explain how the solution to a clear overuse of (fossil) resources by a region is rather a focus on the change of resources than a change in the rate of consumption. It is easier to accept large investments in the change of energy source than to accept a change in our way of life.

A different concept that could be used to explain this tendency would be the discussion on accel- eration by Rosa [13]. According to Rosa, society and modern life are driven by social acceleration in different forms; technological acceleration, the acceleration of social change, and acceleration in the pace of life. The focus on the energy transition as the primary solution to climate change can simply be seen as an example of technological acceleration, which according to Rosa is a central and to a large extent unstoppable part of modern society. The key driver of technological acceleration is the economic motor, capitalism. Applied to the energy transition, this could be interpreted in two ways. 

On the one hand, the energy transition could be seen as an effect of the economic motor, where a slow-down of economic growth would be detrimental to the economic system and thus a shift of energy source is preferred over a decrease in energy consumption. On the other hand, the energy transition could be seen as a technological acceleration in itself, in the sense that modern and more efficient technologies (technology based on carbon emission-free energy sources) are replacing outdated and less efficient technologies (based on fossil fuels). Independent of the choice of inter- pretation, it is evident that the economic motor is to some extent driving the energy transition as a preferred solution to the issue of climate change.

In addition to the economic drivers of the energy transition, more drivers can be identified, as shown in table 1. Many different actors are affected by, and influence the pace of the transition. Four main actors are identified here; society (or the individual citizens of society), research, politics, and industry. The drivers have been divided into economic, political, and social drivers. Understanding the drivers for the different actors is central when discussing the pace of the transition. An end consumer may switch to an electric vehicle or install solar panels due to economic benefits, or because of personal interest in a reduced carbon footprint. Likewise, within research, a large driver is economical in the form of research grants. However, this in turn is driven by political laws and roadmaps defining our society’s way forward as well as industrial interests. 

In some cases, the drivers in research may be social, such as personal interest in the work with sustainability or in the technical field itself. The drivers of national politics around the energy transition are both due to international pressure following agreements such as the Paris Agreement, as well as national security concerns of energy self-sufficiency. Additionally, there may be pressure to deal with climate change from voters, and the need to contain economic growth to remain competitive as a nation. For the industry, the main driver is economic but companies are also to a large extent affected by national (or on EU level) laws and regulations around climate impact, emissions, and energy use.

Summing up the discussion of what drives the solution of an energy transition in response to climate change, the main driver seems to be interlinked with the capitalist economic system. This makes it difficult to widen the discussion on solutions to strategies involving deceleration in society or in economic growth. A possible shift of focus has been discussed by for example Ives et al., [14], suggesting the need to widen the discussion on sustainability to include humanist perspectives of our inner worlds. In engineering research, funding either comes directly from industry or is given to projects with industry applications. Thus, the economic driver is largely present and may affect the range of research questions asked.

Sense of place in the energy transition

Leaving the discussion on drivers and the pace of the energy transition, the next concept to be discussed is sense of place. According to Cresswell, a place is a meaningful site combining location, locale, and sense of place [15]. Here, location is the ”where” of place and can be specified by for example geographical coordinates. In terms of the electric power systems, the location is the geographical area considered as the power system. This could be in the scales ranging from a single component in the power system to the entire interconnected power system, such as the Nordic electric grid. The locale of a place is the material setting, including the physical components, interconnections in the form of the electric power grid, consumers and providers of electrical power within the specified location. 

Lastly, the sense of place is the feelings and emotions connected to the place. In electrical power systems research, the notion of sense of place is not often considered, at least not in the technical calculations and modelling of the systems. However, I would argue that in the context of the energy transition and electrification, the notion of sense of place can be valuable, especially when looking at public opinion regarding the transition. The sense of place in an electric power systems context is highly dependent on the scale considered. The two places considered here are a Swedish household and the nation of Sweden. It is important to note that the sense of place is not constant, as pointed out by Massey [16]. Rather the sense of a place, especially in connection to how the history and past are perceived, is connected to the identity of the people in the place.

In the case of a household in a home, the sense of place is created and held mainly by the members of the household. Materially, from an energy perspective, the household consumes energy in the form of for example heating, electricity, and possibly an owned car. Historically in Sweden, electricity and heating have been cheap and reliable, and so the sense of place has in most cases not been related to the sources of energy. We may have thought about turning off the light as we leave a room to save money on the electricity bill or take shorter showers to save water. Decisions around the sources of heating, electricity and transportation have for a long time had an economic background rather than connected to a sense of place in the home. However, in recent years, the discussion of climate change and the transition from fossil fuels has reached a wider audience. Today many households switch to electric vehicles or install solar panels on the roof, which in turn may lead to the sense of place of the home being connected to the energy source as a mark of a sustainable way of life.

The sense of place in a country like Sweden is primarily held by its residents. The locale of the energy system in Sweden contains all consumers (such as households, industries, public services, etc.), all electricity generation and other energy sources, and the power systems connecting and transporting the electricity or energy. The national sense of place regarding the energy system is connected both to energy adequacy and affordability, energy security, and sustainability. Energy adequacy in the electric power system means the possibility to supply enough electricity at all times and has historically not been an issue in Sweden, which is a net electricity exporter. Affordability has also historically been fulfilled, following the cheap electricity resources and robust grid available in Sweden. A Swedish inhabitant relies on constant access to cheap electricity, which can be said to be part of the sense of place. This became evident during the period of high electricity prices in the winter 2022-2023, where the energy question quickly rose in public debate. 

The notion of energy security relates to the extent to which a nation is reliable on imports of energy sources. In short, international conflicts decrease the willingness to be dependent on imports for energy use. Additionally, energy and electricity infrastructure are potential military targets, as shown in the war in Ukraine. The main energy imports in Sweden is in the form of fossil fuels, such as petrol and diesel for cars. In this sense, the transition from fossil fuels in vehicles is also a way to decrease the dependence on energy imports. Lastly, sustainability is part of the formation of a sense of place related to electrical power systems. As a nation, there is a will to reduce climate impact and to receive high sustainability ratings. As a resident in Sweden, we want to feel that we live in a country where we work with sustainability. The transition from fossil fuels in Sweden is something which can relate to how Swedish residents feel about the country. Additionally, this affects how non-Swedish residents perceive Sweden as a country.

To sum up, a sense of place can be related to electrical power systems and the energy transition on many different scales. The way we feel about a place is dependent on, but also influences, how energy and electricity is used and produced. This indicates that the public opinion around the needed steps in the energy transition, or in climate change mitigation at large, can be connected to how we feel about a specific place. This knowledge suggests that there is gain in connecting the technical parts of the energy transition to more humanities-based discussions on how the energy transition affects us on a deeper level.

Conclusion

This text has introduced concepts of existential sustainability into the technical field of electrifi- cation and the energy transition. Based on the global struggle of climate change, there is a need for wider conversations around possible solutions. In the technical field, the focus lies mainly on technical solutions and policy implementations. This choice of solution is in turn largely driven by the economic motor, assuming continuous economic growth as a larger priority. An existentialist view on the energy transition in technical fields is a rare combination, although not impossible. This text has highlighted some aspects of electrical power systems and the energy transition where existentialist concepts are applicable and possibly even a helpful tool to understand the processes and widen the range of questions asked.

References

[1]    International Energy Agency, ”CO2 Emissions in 2022,” International Energy Agency, 2023.
[2]    DNV, ”Energy outlook 2023,” DNV, 2023.
[3]    DNV, ”Pathway to net zero,” DNV, 2023.
[4]    International Energy Agency, ”Net zero by 2050, A roadmap for the global energy sector,” International Energy Agency, 2021.
[5]    Energimyndigheten, ”Energy in Sweden facts and figures 2023” Energimynidgheten, 2023.
[6]    Powercircle,    ”ELIS    –    Elbilen    i    Sverige,”    2022.    [Online]    Available: https://powercircle.org/statistik/ Accessed: January 22, 2024.
[7]    Scania, ”Electrification” [Online] Available: https://www.scania.com/se/sv/home/electrification.html. Accessed: January 22, 2024.
[8]    SSAB, ”Fossilfritt St˚al” [Online] Available: https://www.ssab.com/sv-se/fossilfri. Accessed: January 22, 2024.
[9]    Our World in Data,    ”Primary energy consumption per capita” [Online] Available: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-energy-use. Accessed: January 25, 2024.
[10]    C. Dorninger, et al., ”Global patterns of ecologically unequal exchange: Implications for sus- tainability in the 21st century”, Ecological Economics, vol. 179, 2021.
[11]    Borg,    A.    ”Time    100    Climate:    Anna    Borg.”    Time,    2022.    [Online].    Available: https://time.com/collection/time100-climate/6333099/anna-borg/. Accessed: January 25, 2024.
[12]    Brissman, Ive, Wild Enchantments in the Anthropocene: Exploring the Wild in Narratives, Practices and Place in Dark Green Spirituality. (Lund: Lund University, 2021).
[13]    H. Rosa, “Social Acceleration:    Ethical and Political Consequences of a Desynchronized High–Speed Society,” Constellations, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 3–33, Mar. 2003, doi: 10.1111/1467-
8675.00309.
[14]    C. D. Ives, R. Freeth, and J. Fischer, “Inside-out sustainability: The neglect of inner worlds,” Ambio, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 208–217, Jan. 2020.
[15]    T. Cresswell, “Place”, International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, Elsevier, 2009, doi: 10.1016/B978-008044910-4.00310-2.
[16]    Massey, Doreen, “Places and their Pasts.” History Workshop Journal no 1, 1995.