Inproceedings,
Modelling infrastructure systems: A hybrid approach for system transition
NGI'08: Proc. NGInfra-IEEE Int'l Scientific Conf.: Building Networks for a Brighter Future, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, IEEE Press, (2008)
Abstract
The depletion of energy resources, the quest for security-of-supply
and the need to mitigate climate change may require or invoke for
a transition of energy infrastructures. We conjecture that the phenomenon
of transitions is not sufficiently understood to merit high expectations
from transition management since energy infrastructures are complex,
large scale socio-technical systems. Transitions are not only multi-layered
phenomena«;» they include feedback loops within and across layers.
We have combined four complementary approaches - Socio-technical
regimes, social theory, Institutional Economics and Actor-Network
theory - to unravel the phenomenon of transitions and present a functional
specification of a transition modelling framework. We suggest the
development of a hybrid modelling approach to enable the analysis
of transitions of socio-technical systems, to provide support to
decision-makers involved in shaping their transition and to explore
the feasibility of transition management. System dynamics and agent-based
modelling are suitable modelling paradigms using energy infrastructures
as an example, as a first step towards enabling transition management.
