Doing the Right Thing

Mats R. Larsson
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Mats R. Larsson: Global Energy Transformation Institute

Chapter 15 in The Business of Global Energy Transformation, 2012, pp 171-184 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract It is no exaggeration that politicians, business people, and the general public need to radically adapt their picture of the future and the way forward. The paradigm that still forms the basis of economic policies and business plans seems to be based on the assumption that the future can be tackled by laissez-faire policies and business strategies based on the idea of “business as usual.” Even if many individuals, organizations and companies argue that we need to transform energy systems on a large scale, and change many other aspects of society related to our use of energy, there is no sign of an approaching paradigm shift in the way we perceive the future and its opportunities. In the debate that is going on there are few signs that politicians or people expect us to experience a very large wave of investments in new energy systems or in new energy-saving technologies. Instead, most people seem to believe that the market will finance the entire energy systems transformation and that the investments will be relatively small. Compare the reply of the Swedish energy and IT minister to the question from MP Krister Örnfjäder, asserting that the Swedish government has determined that the country will be independent of fossil fuels by 2030, without any indication that this is going to require very large investments in the implementation of new transport systems.

Keywords: Electric Vehicle; Smart Grid; District Heating; Vehicle Fuel; Swedish Government (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-137-02449-7_15

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DOI: 10.1057/9781137024497_15

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