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Future of Hydropower in Sweden - Results of a workshop using external and value-based scenarios

Increasing importance of environmental concerns, growing demand for renewable energy, future introduction of electrical cars, improving energy efficiency, ambivalent attitude of society to nuclear power and multiple other external factors may become driving forces for future changes within the hydropower field in Sweden. On the other hand the dynamics for these changes can emerge from the value-systems, arguments, intentions and actions of the stakeholders, many of which are not satisfied by the present situation within the sector, but see its future changes in a different way. This makes the study case of hydropower in Sweden challenging for technology assessment and at the same time the technology assessment method, the scenario workshop that can provide interaction among the opposing parties and serve as a bridging event between the phase when various ways of future technology development are promoted by various actors and the decision-making phase. The ensuing research question is if the scenario workshop can be successfully applied to the hydropower case, the technology which is more than hundred years old, and if it can improve communication among the stakeholders to enhance their learning. The learning implies different dimensions such as Improved articulation of the problems at hand, probing each other‟s world and better understanding of the other stakeholders‟ positions and value systems, driving forces and crucial events for the future development of the whole hydropower sector and possible scenarios for this development. In order to answer this question more than 20 interviews with the main stakeholders have been carried out and a workshop based on possible external and internal future scenarios for hydropower in Sweden was organized. Evaluation of the workshop showed that the chosen method was efficient and the aim, which was stakeholders learning, was reached.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:kth-58626
Date January 2010
CreatorsPetriks, Olga
PublisherKTH, Industriell ekologi
Source SetsDiVA Archive at Upsalla University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeStudent thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text
Formatapplication/pdf
Rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
RelationTrita-IM, 1402-7615 ; 2010:45

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