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Path dependency in provision of domestic heating

Author

Listed:
  • Robert Gross

    (Imperial College London)

  • Richard Hanna

    (Imperial College London)

Abstract

In the United Kingdom, natural gas dominates the provision of heating in buildings. In Sweden, oil heating has been largely replaced by district heating and heat pumps. The origins and outcomes of path dependence and lock-in in heat-system evolution can be country specific. Here, we compare case studies of heat transitions in the United Kingdom and Sweden, addressing the question: can path dependency help to understand why these countries have followed different paths in terms of change to their heating infrastructure? In both countries, the development of heating infrastructures can be understood as path-dependent processes, entailing increasing returns to adoption as fuel sources, infrastructures and end-use technologies coevolve such that the overall performance of the system increases. The challenge for policymakers seeking to achieve carbon targets is to consider how to create the conditions to encourage increasing returns to adoption of low-carbon heating solutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Gross & Richard Hanna, 2019. "Path dependency in provision of domestic heating," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 4(5), pages 358-364, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:4:y:2019:i:5:d:10.1038_s41560-019-0383-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41560-019-0383-5
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Lucas W. Davis, 2023. "The Economic Determinants of Heat Pump Adoption," NBER Chapters, in: Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy, volume 5, pages 162-199, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Kozarcanin, S. & Hanna, R. & Staffell, I. & Gross, R. & Andresen, G.B., 2020. "Impact of climate change on the cost-optimal mix of decentralised heat pump and gas boiler technologies in Europe," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    3. Charitopoulos, V. & Fajardy, M. & Chyong, C. K. & Reiner, D., 2022. "The case of 100% electrification of domestic heat in Great Britain," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2210, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    4. Ding, Tao & Sun, Yuge & Huang, Can & Mu, Chenlu & Fan, Yuqi & Lin, Jiang & Qin, Yining, 2022. "Pathways of clean energy heating electrification programs for reducing carbon emissions in Northwest China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    5. Lanka Horstink & Julia M. Wittmayer & Kiat Ng & Guilherme Pontes Luz & Esther Marín-González & Swantje Gährs & Inês Campos & Lars Holstenkamp & Sem Oxenaar & Donal Brown, 2020. "Collective Renewable Energy Prosumers and the Promises of the Energy Union: Taking Stock," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-30, January.
    6. Renaldi, Renaldi & Hall, Richard & Jamasb, Tooraj & Roskilly, Anthony P., 2021. "Experience rates of low-carbon domestic heating technologies in the United Kingdom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    7. Schlund, David & Schönfisch, Max, 2021. "Analysing the impact of a renewable hydrogen quota on the European electricity and natural gas markets," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 304(C).
    8. Schlund, David & Schönfisch, Max, 2021. "Analysing the Impact of a Renewable Hydrogen Quota on the European Electricity and Natural Gas Markets," EWI Working Papers 2021-3, Energiewirtschaftliches Institut an der Universitaet zu Koeln (EWI).
    9. Bartnik, Ryszard & Buryn, Zbigniew & Hnydiuk-Stefan, Anna & Kowalczyk, Tomasz, 2022. "Thermodynamic and economic comparative analyses of a hierarchic gas-gas combined heat and power (CHP) plant coupled with a compressor heat pump," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 244(PB).
    10. Jan Rosenow & Duncan Gibb & Thomas Nowak & Richard Lowes, 2022. "Heating up the global heat pump market," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 7(10), pages 901-904, October.
    11. Deakin, Matthew & Bloomfield, Hannah & Greenwood, David & Sheehy, Sarah & Walker, Sara & Taylor, Phil C., 2021. "Impacts of heat decarbonization on system adequacy considering increased meteorological sensitivity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    12. Kaandorp, Chelsea & Miedema, Tes & Verhagen, Jeroen & van de Giesen, Nick & Abraham, Edo, 2022. "Reducing committed emissions of heating towards 2050: Analysis of scenarios for the insulation of buildings and the decarbonisation of electricity generation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 325(C).
    13. Nis Bertelsen & Brian Vad Mathiesen, 2020. "EU-28 Residential Heat Supply and Consumption: Historical Development and Status," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-21, April.
    14. Kou, Xiaoxue & Wang, Ruzhu, 2023. "Thermodynamic analysis of electric to thermal heating pathways coupled with thermal energy storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    15. Xiang, Xiwang & Ma, Minda & Ma, Xin & Chen, Liming & Cai, Weiguang & Feng, Wei & Ma, Zhili, 2022. "Historical decarbonization of global commercial building operations in the 21st century," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    16. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Martiskainen, Mari, 2020. "Hot transformations: Governing rapid and deep household heating transitions in China, Denmark, Finland and the United Kingdom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    17. Yan, Hongzhi & Hu, Bin & Wang, Ruzhu, 2021. "Air-source heat pump heating based water vapor compression for localized steam sterilization applications during the COVID-19 pandemic," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    18. Lizana, Jesus & Halloran, Claire E. & Wheeler, Scot & Amghar, Nabil & Renaldi, Renaldi & Killendahl, Markus & Perez-Maqueda, Luis A. & McCulloch, Malcolm & Chacartegui, Ricardo, 2023. "A national data-based energy modelling to identify optimal heat storage capacity to support heating electrification," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(PA).

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