Purpose - As energy demand increases in tandem with an increasing climate crisis, the world runs towards renewable energy generation. Within the area of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) there are a multitude of opportunities that should be capitalized on, but this requires an integration of the connected systems of Information Technology (IT) and the governing systems of Operational Technology (OT). In the utility sector, this has proven very complex. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges between utility companies, IT providers, and OT providers in the ecosystem to identify activities to combat these challenges by developing a contingency framework. Thus, contributing to the development of Smart Grids (SG) within renewable energy generation. Method – To fulfill the purpose of this study, the partnership between the Swedish branch of a global technology company and a sizeable Swedish energy producer has been investigated. A qualitative single case study has been conducted with an inductive, explorative approach. Empirical data were collected from 22 interviews and 4 workshops from six different companies across five countries. The interviews and workshops were conducted in three different waves: 1) Explorative, 2) Investigatory, and 3) Validatory. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings – Findings from our data analysis have identified challenges and key activities in four main categories: 1) IT/OT Collaborative Challenges, 2) IT/OT Technical Challenges, 3) IT/OT Collaborative Activities, and 4) IT/OT Technical Activities. These findings are combined to form a contingency framework that emphasizes the activities to overcome industry challenges. Theoretical and Practical Implications – Our findings and framework expand on current literature in IIoT, SGs, and Innovation Ecosystems development by investigating the collaborative challenges and activities within IT/OT collaboration rather than specific technologies or ecosystem structures. It also expands the literature on IT/OT convergence by taking a broader ecosystem perspective than only IT and OT companies. Our framework provides practical contributions for managers by identifying key challenges and activities and how these relate to each other. Limitations and Future Research – Our study is limited to a single case study on wind power generation in northern Europe. Therefore, future studies are recommended to investigate if our findings apply to other companies, industry sectors, and geographical areas.

Purpose - In the pursuit of renewable energy sources, solar photovoltaic (PV) is predicted to become the single biggest global source of energy by the year of 2027, part of a trilemma involving climate change, biodiversity and food security. Agrivoltaic (AV) systems, the co-location and potential symbiosis between agricultural activities and solar PV, has thereby arisen as a potential solution for dual land-use. The research within this area is novel, and scholars agree that there is a need for the conceptualization of utility-scale AV in general, and the commercialization process of such systems in particular. Thereby, the purpose of this study is to unravel the key factors, activities and stakeholder involvement in order to assess the commercial potential of utility-scale AV. By addressing research questions: RQ1. What are the key factors for assessing the commercial potential of utility-scale AV?, RQ2. Which activities are essential to address these factors? and RQ3. Who are the key stakeholders that need to be involved in these activities?, a contingency framework for the assessment process has been developed. Method - In order to fulfill the purpose of this study utility-scale AV was approached as a Technology Innovation System (TIS) where the solar energy actor Sunna Group AB (Sunna) enabled insight to the potential industry context of utility-scale AV. Respondents were sampled within the TIS, forming the prerequisites for this multiple case study. Empirical data were collected in three phases: 1) Exploratory, 2) Semi-structured and 3) Final workshop, resulting in 3 workshops and 17 interviews, analyzed by a thematic analysis.  Findings - The thematic analysis resulted in four main themes: 1) Socio-political factors, 2) Techno-economical factors, 3) Meso activities for commercialization and 4) Macro activities for commercialization, under which seven key factors, six overarching activities and the stakeholder involvement in these activities, were revealed. These further formed a contingency framework providing an overview of how these building blocks are interlinked.  Theoretical & practical implications - The resulting framework provides an overview and synthesizes the commercialization of utility-scale AV, bridging the gap between stakeholder involvement and the key factors for assessing the commercial potential. The practical implications of this study primarily involve the solar energy sector, yet deemed to be of value to all potential stakeholders within the ecosystem of AV. Limitations & future research - The limitations of this study includes the potential exclusion of stakeholders within the data collection process due to the complex stakeholder configuration of AV, as well as the geographical constraints limiting this study to the context of Sweden. Future research is encouraged within several fields of this novel research area, predominantly including stakeholder involvement, business model configuration and how to mobilize the synergy sought in technology development between the solar energy- and agricultural sector.