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Philip Peck

Philip Peck

Senior lecturer

Philip Peck

The ‘Sustainable Energy Concept’ - making sense of norms and co-evolution within a large research facility's energy strategy

Author

  • Philip Peck
  • Thomas Parker

Summary, in English

The analysis presents an evolving ‘Energy Concept’ and strategy at an energy-intensive research facility in order to contribute understanding of how organisations may implement renewable energies and improve energy efficiency whilst also delivering broader socio-economic benefits. A framework is developed that infuses institutional perspectives with a micro level view. It facilitates positioning of strategy against instrumental/altruistic and factual/relational extremes and analysis of organisational strategy in the face of internal/external stakeholder, and institutional forces. Applied to a seven-year case this supports understanding of strategy ‘purpose’ and ‘inputs’ as they co-evolve along a project time-line. It is found that the energy strategy evolves from a dominantly instrumental but stakeholder-driven position towards approaches aligned with deliberate public good provision in areas beyond direct organizational interests, and that changes required significant redefinition of the design and operational models. Developments are explained as largely the result of internal agency and culture-building influences from an energy department equipped with concrete management tools and autonomy. At the case level, the study concludes that the Energy Concept implementation has sparked a change in energy management at large global research facilities. The work also demonstrates that longitudinal, multi-level institutional analysis can contribute to deeper understanding of strategy development.

Department/s

  • The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics

Publishing year

2016

Language

English

Pages

137-154

Publication/Series

Journal of Cleaner Production

Volume

123

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Energy Systems

Keywords

  • EnergyStrategyCo-evolutionAgencyEnergy efficiencyResearch infrastructure

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0959-6526