This research area seeks to illustrate and promote our understanding of the societal conditions and consequences of a conversion to sustainable use of energy and materials. Consequently, it also aims at supporting the transition to sustainable use of energy and resources.

Some of the main issues we work with include: Which renewable energy supply systems are welfare economically appropriate; what is the most suitable design of a welfare-economically sound waste management; what policy instruments would be most appropriate to use in order to create incentives for sustainability economic behaviour; how does the present regulation work and how does it work with other sector policies; how can energy efficiencies, sustainable energy production and intelligent supply networks integrate into people's everyday lives and households; how can households be integrated into a more sustainable use of waste resources; how can use and consumption of food, clothing, IT, household appliances and other products and services be made more sustainable?

Transition of energy and material consumption

The transition towards a sustainable society is largely about transforming the energy and material consumption. The way in which we as a society, produce and consume energy, but also how we use and reuse the planet’s scarce raw materials, is of major importance to the welfare of the population. This also depends on economic activity, global climate change, pollution of human health through hazardous substances, preservation of a sufficient resource base for a growing world population as well as protection of nature and biodiversity.

Sustainable energy supply is about an energy production, that is increasingly based on renewable energy sources, and about a more efficient energy consumption. Sustainable material use is very much about recycling and recirculation of scarce materials; both have socioeconomic, socio-cultural as well as regulatory implications.

The degree to which energy supply, energy consumption and material use is sustainable is assessed for the individual energy- and recycling solution, based on an inventory of all direct and indirect consequences for energy, use of resources and environment. Thus, the analysis is not limited to the positive direct effects of the solution on energy consumption and the environment only. Not all renewable energy solutions and recycling solutions are necessarily sustainable, which among others, result in the following socio-economic implications:

• Biomass and waste are scarce resources with multiple potential uses. This is one reason why society is faced with a significant challenge to find the socially optimal long-term use.
• Biomass production takes up land areas, which are also a scarce resource. This results in a priority problem regarding alternative uses of the areas, e.g. for food supply or conservation of nature
• The use of policy instruments is often necessary to create sustainable energy and resource use, i.a. to match the overall benefits for society and the benefits to individual companies or households.

Transition of society at all levels

The transition towards sustainable energy supply, energy consumption and resource use is not just a question of identifying what is optimal from an economic and environmental point of view. It also necessitates a transition of society at all levels from the everyday practices of households to technological infrastructures at the national and international level. These transitions may have a number of sociocultural implications. Examples include:

• New types of energy production facilities may cause conflicts with affected segments of the population;
• Household based energy production units such as solar cells or micro wind turbines imply that private households will play a new role in the energy production sector, and this affects both investments and everyday-life;
• Reduced energy consumption is not just about design of buildings and appliances, but also about how you live and communicate, your every-day practices and how you run your household;
• Waste from households and industries represents a valuable resource, but the extent to which these values can be realised depends on how the waste is sorted and treated at the source. This in turn is determined by the behaviours and practices in households, apartment buildings and waste companies.

Regulation and Governance

Public regulation and governance is an important factor in the transition to sustainable energy and waste systems. For instance, economic regulation can facilitate the transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy and planning can help promote sustainable use of resources. Public regulation and governance deal with questions such as:

• Do the current policy instruments ensure a sustainable use of energy and resources?
• Which incentives do the regulations provide for different target groups? Do the incentives match the behavioural changes that are targeted by the regulations?
• Which policy instruments can minimise the costs associated with reaching future targets? Are green-taxes, subsidy schemes or information campaigns optimal or is it perhaps best to use a combination of instruments?
• How does the current regulation interact with the regulation in other sectors, e.g. agricultural or transportation policies? Do the policies conflict with each other and if so can they be better integrated?
• How can regulation at different levels, local, regional, national and EU level, be integrated?

Research projects

Recently completed and current research projects dealing with energy and resource use covers economic, sociological and policy studies:

• Capacity building, programme development and communication regarding environmental taxes and budgetary reforms
• Waste sorting in households - quantifying household determinants and willingness to sort household wastes
• Waste shafts and waste sorting in Copenhagen (ASKI)
• Source separation of household waste in apartments (KiRH)
• Welfare economic analysis of bio-fuels in the transport sector (REBECa)
• Welfare economic evaluation of selected biogas technologies (Report)
• Welfare economic consequences of reducing NO_x emissions from natural gas fired engines at combined heat and power plants (Report)
• Sustainable use of hydrogen in the transport sector: consumer needs and demand patterns (How2Use)
• Households’ responses to climate change and climate policies (NORD-Star)
• Socio-cultural aspects related to the use of wood stoves (Wooduse)
• Societal barriers for a hydrogen based energy system (Hyscene)
• Who are the stakeholders in relation to biogas and how do they affect the potentials for integrating policies? (BIOSOC)
• The potential role of a green tax reform in societal transition (COMETR)