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While the EU is actively promoting the integration of CE into its respective energy system, this has not been the case in Norway. Using the theory of sociotechnical visions, this paper reveals that the incumbent actors of the country’s energy sector envision the continuation of the centralized power production system, while more emergent actors anticipate CE functioning synchronously with utility-scale power plants in the future. For the actors in power, the promotion of CE is seen as an economically irrational alternative due to economies of scale and the potential cause for diverse justice concerns, such as favoring certain actors in the energy market and potentially disrupting the functionality of the existing grid system. The more emergent actors see CE as an opportunity to address some of the ongoing concerns in the Norwegian shift towards a low-carbon society, including public opposition to renewable energy infrastructure. There is evidence of a growing push for CE policy from some of the emergent actors, but so far, it has been met with institutional resistance. This paper shows how diverse approaches to transition are constructed and performed and the potential implications they have for the energy system and society. Such considerations are key to constructing a more robust energy policy and contributing to a more inclusive and transformative energy transition.

Krisjanis Rudus
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

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ID Abstract: 261