La conférence des Etats parties à la convention cadre des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques qui s’est tenue à Paris à la fin de l’année 2015 (COP 21) a relancé l’intérêt des Etats pour la protection de l’environnement et la transition écologique et énergétique. Depuis plus d’une décennie, de nombreuses lois sont intervenues qui placent les collectivités territoriales au cœur de ce dispositif. Aujourd’hui, la réalisation de la transition énergétique repose sur un partenariat entre collectivités publiques, gardiennes du service public, et entreprises privées maitrisant ingénierie et technique propres au secteur énergétique. Cette politique publique s’inscrit ainsi dans le contexte de réforme de l’action publique qui modifie profondément les modes de gestion des services publics. / The conference of the member states of the United nations framework convention about climate change (COP 21) which took place in Paris, december 2015, increased the state’s interest either for the protection of the environment and the ecological transition. From more than a decade, many laws had have the goal to place local authorities into the hearth of this system. Today, the realization of the energy transition is based on a partnership between public authorities, garantor of the public service and private companies mastering engineering and energy techniques. This policy takes place in the story of a new public management, which profoundly changes the way public services are managed.

Un nombre croissant d’études académiques et de rapports d’organismes internationaux relèvent une dépendance accrue des nouvelles technologies de l’énergie vis-à-vis d’une catégorie de ressources souvent prénommés métaux rares. Parallèlement, il se forme depuis plusieurs années des inquiétudes sur la disponibilité économique de ces métaux pour opérer la transition énergétique nécessaire à la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique. Cette thèse a donc pour objectif de souligner l’ensemble des contraintes et des risques qu’implique l’usage fréquent et généralisé de ces métaux dans les nouvelles technologies de l’énergie. Une première partie de la thèse est consacrée aux indicateurs et aux théories reliées à la disponibilité économique de long terme d’une ressource non renouvelable tout en faisant apparaitre un ensemble de traits communs partagés par les métaux rares. La seconde partie de cette thèse démontre les risques attachés à une absence d’élasticité prix de l’offre de métaux rares du fait d’une contrainte de sous-produit. Elle offre également une analyse approfondie des causes et des conséquences relatives à l’absence de marché à terme pour la quasi-totalité de ces métaux rares. Enfin, son dernier chapitre propose d’explorer la liaison très forte existant entre le secteur de l’énergie et le secteur des métaux. Il y est démontré que cette connexion s’accentue et qu’elle implique la possibilité d’un cercle vicieux entre des énergies toujours moins concentrées (avec un contenu en métaux grandissant) et des métaux qui consomment toujours plus d’énergie sous l’effet de leur épuisement. / A growing number of academic studies and international organizations reports have noticed an increasing dependency of new energy technologies on a specific class of natural resources often called minor metals. For several years, worries about economic availability of these metals in order to realize the energy transition have appeared. This thesis aims at underline the broader risks and constraints involved by general use of these metals in new energy technologies. A first part of this thesis is devoted to theories and indicators related to the depletion of non renewable resources. This part also shows that minor metals share many characteristics and that they can form a group of metal consistent. In a second part, this thesis addresses the issues linked to the absence of price elasticity for the supply of minor metals due to the byproduct constraint. Another chapter offers an analysis of causes and consequences connected to the absence of futures markets for almost all minor metals. Finally, a last chapter highlights the strong link existing between the energy sector and the metals sectors. This connection is increasing and can create a vicious circle between energies which are less and less concentrated and metals which consume more and more energy due to their depletion.

Efforts to combat climate change through limiting our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG),is the main driver of the energy transition and entail strategies to decarbonize the energy sector. However, these strategies come with various social and technical challenges whichare important to address, especially regarding emerging consumer participation in the system as producers and consumers i.e., prosumers. The aim of this study is to investigate how smart technical solutions can be better diffused to improve participation of consumers in the energy transition through building knowledge and direct engagement as prosumers. Similarly, this study aims to investigate if there is potential for such smart technical solutions to help improve social acceptance of renewables and smart meter devices which also support “prosumerism”, through exploring Ferroamp, and its unique smart solution modular system as an example in the Swedish context.  This study conducted three qualitative interviews, one with a solar seller who acts as a representative and interacts with a large consumer base as well as 2 customers of the Ferroamp system. These interviews led to conclusions regarding the opportunity of smart solutions to facilitate greater knowledge and participation in the Swedish Energy Transition; however, key challenges regarding technological awareness and economic knowledge of the consumer base remain, which has implications for actors trying to increase smart technology penetration in Sweden. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of increasing consumers’ technological awareness and better communicating economic benefits if we are to increase consumer acceptance, participation, and engagement in the energy transition moving forward.

Currently, the world as we know it is undergoing many different transformations towards a more sustainable future, one of which is the energy transition. The energy transition is a wicked problem that requires transformative and creative thinking to be solved. One way to foster an innovative environment in organizations is by having a diverse workforce with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. However, the energy sector, which has a major responsibility in the transition, is currently gender-segregated. Thus, not taking advantage of diverse capabilities. This thesis studies the energy-gender nexus within a Swedish context and explores what implications a male-dominated energy sector could entail for the energy transition. This is done through a qualitative research design using two methods, (1) a document review to analyze how important actors in the Swedish energy transition currently address gender equality, (2) expert interviews to further explore these findings. The results showed that the energy-gender nexus is a complex paradigm and that opportunities and challenges to integrate more diversity often are interconnected. The main challenges were showed to be connected to presumptions of generalized gender norms, the sectorial image, and the need for structural change. Opportunities were connected to affirmative action and advocacy from initiatives or role models, and benefits from specific measurable targets. It was also concluded that more perspectives and a diversified energy sector could potentially benefit the energy transition through acceleration.

This master thesis examines how the Fukushima accident has affected the French energy policy and the impact on the perception of nuclear energy by policymakers, the public and energy companies. Nuclear energy does comprises three-quarters of the total electricity production in the country and thus forms the backbone of the energy mix in France. The study uses comparative analysis as a main approach, to compare public discourse of state actors (in particular the President, the Ministry of Energy and Nuclear Safety Agency) and the French energy companies before and after the accident from March 11, 2011. At the beginning, the study refers on the position of nuclear energy in the world, historical development of nuclear energy in France and its importance for the energy security of the country. It also describes the Fukushima accident and its immediate consequences on nuclear energy worldwide. In a research section it presents a summary of France's energy policy before the Fukushima accident, in which emphasis was placed on maintaining a high share of nuclear energy in the energy mix of the country. In the next part of the research is described the French energy policy after the accident and subsequently the prospect of possible change of energy strategy of France.

Energy transition (ET) to renewable energy sources (RES) has been identified as a crucial action needed in combating climate change. These societal transitions have barriers which are hard to quantify and thus hard to incorporate in energy modelling scenarios. Full-scale island societies offer a unique position in observing societal changes that accompany ET technology. Islands also offer an understanding of how holistic sustainable development agendas and clear leadership can help facilitate an ET at a local level by identifying local barriers and bottlenecks. The autonomous territory, the Åland Islands, was chosen as a case study to investigate the role municipal governance leadership has on ET. 15 municipal actors in three different governing roles, from five different municipalities, were interviewed in individual semi-structured interviews. The results show that economic barriers were not perceived as a hindrance if local ET planning and budgeting is done thoroughly and followed up. The main barriers identified are social and include gender and age imbalances, lack of transparent communication, segregation of stakeholders and lack of cooperation between municipalities. The interviewees all saw benefits with undertaking an ET, both economically and socially, but seem unsure of who should take on this responsibility. There is lack of local adoption and holistic planning for ET, even if the actors in the municipalities express their willingness to undertake one – but with no clear regional ET agenda or leader to shoulder the task, it is unlikely that Åland will achieve the energy goals set to be reached 2030. / <p>Presentation was done online due to COVID-19</p> / Smart Energy Åland

L'appel croissant à la mise en œuvre d'une politique climatique ambitieuse et globale devrait détério-rer les perspectives économiques des pays dépendants du pétrole. Cette thèse étudie les impacts économiques de cette transition bas-carbone ainsi que les stratégies d'atténuation possibles pour le premier exportateur de pétrole: le Royaume d'Arabie Saoudite (AS). Nous proposons une applica-tion utilisant un modèle intégré économie-énergie-environnement qui prend en compte les spécifici-tés de l’économie saoudienne comme l’ancrage de son taux de change ou encore les prix d’énergies administrés.Premièrement, en utilisant une représentation agrégée de l’économie saoudienne, nous montrons qu’un prix du pétrole plus faible résultant de la transition bas-carbone mondiale résulte en un taux de croissance marginalement bas, des excédents commerciaux significativement réduits et à un chô-mage plus élevé. Nous analysons la portée des outils dont dispose l’AS pour atténuer les impacts des politiques climatiques sur son économie. Nous estimons que l'alignement des prix de l'énergie saou-diens sur les références internationales ainsi que l’augmentation des gains d'efficacité énergétique fournissent à l’AS des sources de revenus supplémentaires. Ce cadre de modélisation permet de tes-ter des scénarios prospectifs tout en contrôlant leurs spécifications macroéconomiques.Ensuite, nous mettons en perspective ces spécifications dans un cadre multisectoriel afin d'étudier les stratégies de diversification émanant des contributions prévues déterminées au niveau national (INDC) ainsi que son programme stratégique Vision 2030. Nous concluons que la diversification économique dans les secteurs à faible intensité énergétique (industrie manufacturière, tourisme et services financiers) en augmentant les exportations et la substitution des importations, en plus de réformer l'impôt sur les sociétés offre une perspective positive par rapport à une expansion continue des industries à forte intensité énergétique (minéraux, pétrochimie et ciment). En effet, nous mon-trons que la diversification dans les secteurs à faible intensité énergétique génère une croissance plus forte et un chômage plus faible. En outre, dans le cadre de ce scénario de diversification écono-mique, l’AS dépasse ses engagements climatiques en termes de réduction des émissions de CO2. Néanmoins, l’expansion des secteurs à forte intensité énergétique résulte en une meilleure perspec-tive de la dette publique puisque le gouvernement tire des revenus plus élevés de ses participations dans les industries lourdes. Enfin, nous concluons que dans nos deux scénarios, l’AS n’atteint que partiellement ses ambitions de transition vers une économie moins dépendante du pétrole dans le cadre du programme Vision 2030, ce qui suggère que de nouvelles réformes doivent être envisagées.Cette thèse contribue à la littérature sur l’implémentation d’une politique climatique et ses consé-quences économiques pour les pays exportateurs pétrole. Notre travail fournit des estimations sur les réformes économiques à entreprendre comme stratégies d'atténuation et pourrait donc être adapté pour couvrir d'autres pays et sources d’énergie. / The increasing call for implementing a global and ambitious climate policy is expected to deteriorate economic outlook of oil-dependent countries. Our research work investigates the impact of this global low-carbon transition and the potential mitigation strategies for the largest oil exporter: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). We propose an application using an integrated economy-energy-environment modelling framework taking into account salient features of the Saudi economy such as the currency peg and the regulated domestic energy prices.First, using an aggregated representation of the KSA economy, we show that a weaker oil price re-sulting from the global low-carbon transition is associated with a marginally lower growth, large trade surplus accumulation loss, and higher unemployment for the KSA. We analyse what scope the KSA has to mitigate climate policy impacts. We reveal that aligning domestic energy prices with international references and achieving energy efficiency gains increases economic efficiency while improving public budget prospects. This modelling framework allows to investigate scenarios while controlling the modelling macroeconomic specifications.We refine these outlooks in a mulstisector framework that further allows investigating diversifica-tion opportunities within the Saudi Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) and its Vision 2030 program. We conclude that economic diversification into non energy-intensive sectors (manufacture, tourism, and financial services) through increasing exports and import substitution, in addition to targeting fiscal adjustments of the corporate tax, provide a positive outlook compared with a continuous expansion of energy-intensive activities (minerals, petrochemical, and cement). Indeed, we show that diversification in non-energy intensive sector generates higher growth, and lower unemployment. In addition, under our designed economic diversification plan, the KSA ex-ceeds its climate pledges in terms of targeted CO2 abatement. Nevertheless, the continuous expan-sion of energy-intensive industries is associated with a better outlook for the public debt since the government derives higher revenues from its participation in energy-intensive industries. Finally, we conclude that in our two scenarios, the KSA only partially succeeds in its transition toward a less oil-dependent economy as part of the Vision 2030 program, suggesting that further reforms are to be considered.This thesis contributes to the literature on climate policy implementation and associated economic consequences for fossil-fuel exporters. It provides insights on economic reforms as mitigation strate-gies and could be thus adapted to cover additional countries and fuels.

In the context of the current energy transition and sustainable development, the promotion of waste separation and waste management is a good means of promoting the energy transition. Waste, when recycled, can contribute to the energy transition in many ways, for example by generating electricity, heating, recycling into raw materials for reuse and producing biofuels. In the process, fossil fuels and overall energy use can be reduced. Sweden is a country with excellent waste management. However, with the current increasing number of university students, many student residences with characteristics that make them isolated from the local community and difficult to manage are emerging. This study was carried out in Visby, Gotland, Sweden. It explored the waste sorting behaviour of students in student accommodation and the extent to which students have knowledge about waste sorting in relation to the energy transition. At the same time, the study attempts to dataset student waste sorting behaviour and knowledge of waste sorting and energy transition, and to find whether there is a relationship between these two variables. The study uses a survey method, and the results are analysed using both qualitative and Pearson’s Correlation test. It was found that the current waste sorting behaviour of students in student accommodation is not very good. This is related to a number of factors, such as whether the students have completed their pre-university studies in Sweden and the students' academic qualifications. According to the survey, the three factors that students think affect their waste sorting behaviour are the benefits of sorting waste, food waste needs to be sorted in special bags and it is difficult to get used to the complex waste sorting system in Sweden. The largest number of respondents felt that it would help them to be more diligent in sorting their waste if waste sorting initiatives could be set up in student residences. The research found a moderate correlation between the waste sorting behaviour of students at Visby and knowledge related to waste sorting and energy transition.

The transition to renewable energy sources is vital to mitigate global warming and achieve the climate targets set by the EU. The availability of natural gas in Europe is challenged due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, leading to a shift towards fossil-free alternatives. In collaboration with Siemens Energy, this thesis investigates the availability of green fuels for gas turbines in Europe, specifically in Germany, Poland, and the UK. The methodology includes analysing literature, internal and official documents, and conducting a customer survey.  The fuel availability outlook indicates an upcoming expansion of hydrogen infrastructure, with Germany and the UK expected to have operational hydrogen infrastructure within the next 5-10 years. While green ammonia and e-methanol may have limited roles in the energy transition, ammonia's capacity to transport hydrogen makes it a potential energy carrier, and the existing distribution network could facilitate the early adoption of large-scale ammonia transportation. Biofuel availability varies across regions, feedstocks, and production methods, with biogas, biomethane and HVO showing significant potential. Natural gas remains the most cost-effective fuel until 2040, with blue hydrogen and ammonia, along with carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), identified as the best alternative green fuels. After 2035, green hydrogen will emerge as the most cost-effective green option. The customer survey highlights the preference for hydrogen and ammonia, driven by governmental requirements and environmental responsibility. This study emphasises the promising transition fuels and the need to explore CCUS technologies' impact on fossil-based fuel prices.

Climate change is no novelty – we witness its disastrous impact more and more by each day. Although we already started envisaging a future where the vitality of our societies is derived not from conventional fossil fuels, but from a sophisticated, clean, and steadfast energy source – the latest benchmarks tracked by leading global energy agencies show grim performance, thereby calling for an intervention. The exploration into Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) could present a stable and likely journey towards this vision – offering a glimpse into a future where energy is not only abundant, but also conscientiously generated. SMRs are compact versions of traditional nuclear power plants, yet they bring additional advantages such as potential cost-effectiveness and adaptability to diverse locations and environments. These reactors promise to cater to our escalating energy demands while simultaneously upholding environmental integrity. However, as this research reveals, their implementation – particularly in Finland and Sweden – isn't without challenges. While SMRs offer potential benefits, the regulatory landscapes in both countries present formidable obstacles. Finland's regulatory body, known for its stringent oversight, ensures adherence to the highest safety standards. Yet, this rigor can sometimes be a double-edged sword – especially when navigating the dynamic realm of SMRs. In contrast, Sweden grapples with pronounced regulatory uncertainties and ambiguity, further complicated by historical public skepticism towards the nuclear sector. Safety perceptions in the nuclear industry often deviate towards feelings rather than quantifiable metrics. This underlines an ongoing debate: should we define an acceptable safety threshold or aim for absolute safety? Moreover, the intertwined nature of politics and large-scale nuclear projects necessitates well-considered, stable strategies to harness SMRs' potential. Focused on Finland and Sweden – countries with rich nuclear histories – this research offers a deep dive into the complex narrative of risks, opportunities, and strategic challenges surrounding SMRs in the Nordic context. It underscores the need for a nuanced approach that combines technological innovation with socio-political considerations.