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Governance, Innovation & Change
Innovation
The concept of innovation in energy systems has evolved from a narrow focus on firms and market growth toward a broader view of innovation as a socio-technical process. In the context of smart grid transitions, it involves the intentional creation and institutionalisation of new technological, social, and organisational solutions. This transformation requires navigating established socio-technical regimes where social and institutional changes are as fundamental as the hardware itself.
Innovation in smart grids spans products, processes, and institutions — and understanding what makes new solutions stick matters as much as developing them.
Why this matters
The historical view of innovation has shifted from a pejorative political label to a virtue used as an instrument for achieving social goals.1) For smart grids, understanding innovation dynamics is critical because the categorical imperative often penalises developments that do not fit established cognitive and regulatory frameworks.2)
Moving beyond pro-innovation bias allows policymakers to address the enabling factors for technological diffusion and the exnovation of unsustainable legacy structures that hinder system transformation.
Shared definitions
Innovation is the multi-dimensional process of creating and institutionalising new technological, social, or organisational solutions — including products, processes, and services — that respond to grand societal challenges and create public value. In smart grid transitions, this encompasses mission-oriented initiatives that aim to reshape socio-technical regimes through niche development, the alignment of legal and infrastructure frameworks, and the pursuit of directional objectives.3)4)
Based on category theory, innovations are classified by how they interact with existing social and regulatory categories:5)
Table 1. Innovation types by their relationship to existing social and regulatory categories.
Source: Frenken & Punt (2023).
| Innovation type | Description |
|---|---|
| Incremental | Readily categorised and institutionalised in an existing category; valued for minor improvements. |
| Breakthrough | Readily categorised in an existing category; valued for major improvements. |
| Disruptive | Eventually institutionalised in an existing category by stretching its boundaries; makes practice more accessible. |
| Radical | Institutionalised in a new category rather than an existing one; valued for its novelty. |
Perspectives
The study of innovation focuses on how new solutions emerge in niches, navigate socio-technical regimes, and eventually influence the broader landscape.
Actors and stakeholders
Contemporary innovation is driven by a wide array of actors beyond traditional entrepreneurs and corporate R&D. These include mission-oriented actors — public and private entities collaborating to achieve societal value such as grid stability or decarbonisation, rather than just market success. These actors must navigate the categorical imperative, ensuring that new solutions are eventually accepted and valued within social practices and regulatory standards.6)
@@GAP: case example needed — actors perspective@@
Technologies and infrastructure
Technological innovation in smart grids is increasingly granular, characterised by the proliferation of small-scale, low-unit-cost technologies like solar PV and lithium batteries. Unlike large-scale infrastructure, granular technologies often exhibit steeper learning curves, faster diffusion, and provide more equitable access.7) This granularity enables rapid experimentation and performance improvements, though it requires innovation policies aligned with market demand to achieve system-wide transition.
Global – Low Energy Demand scenario
The LED scenario demonstrates that rapid innovation in granular end-use technologies can meet climate targets through widespread diffusion and rapid cost reductions, reducing reliance on unproven large-scale supply-side technologies by leveraging the rapid learning rates of mass-produced components.8)
Institutional structures
Institutions shape innovation through laws, standards, and governance. A core challenge is how society categorises and institutionalises novelty. Institutional innovation also includes exnovation: the deliberate, structured ending of unsustainable practices, technologies, or socio-technical regimes to make room for transformative solutions.9)10)
@@GAP: case example needed — institutional perspective@@
Distinctions and overlaps
Innovation vs. invention
Invention is the creation of a new idea or technology. Innovation is the process of bringing it into use — which requires institutionalisation, adoption, and the reconfiguration of surrounding practices and rules. In smart grid transitions, many technologies exist as inventions long before they become innovations in this fuller sense.
Innovation vs. exnovation
Innovation introduces new solutions. Exnovation deliberately phases out existing ones. In energy transitions both are necessary: introducing distributed resources without retiring legacy infrastructure can produce stranded assets and regulatory conflicts rather than system transformation.
Related topics
Digitalisation · Technology · Markets · Social practice · Transitions · Innovation policy · Regulatory sandbox
Topic notes
Gaps to address before Gate 1:
- Case examples missing from actors and institutional perspectives
- The LED scenario case is global/conceptual rather than country-specific — consider replacing or supplementing with a named country programme