A new regime and then what? Cracks and tensions in the socio-technical regime of the Swedish heat energy system

This research paper uses the multi-level perspective (MLP) to analyze the stability and potential lock-in of the socio-technical regime within Sweden's heat-energy system, identifying risks associated with current system characteristics.

• Sweden has transitioned its heating energy source from oil to renewables since the 1970s, resulting in the highest total amount of renewable energy used for heating among all EU Member States.
• The authors identify three specific characteristics of the heat-energy regime—saturation, complementarity, and interconnectedness—that may lead to the lock-in of less sustainable practices and create system tensions.
• The Swedish heat regime is characterized as facing an unstable future due to several challenges that are increasing in importance.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2017). A new regime and then what? Cracks and tensions in the socio-technical regime of the Swedish heat energy system. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-new-regime-and-then-what-cracks-and-tensions-in-the-socio-technical-regime-of-the-swedish-heat-energy-system/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. A new regime and then what? Cracks and tensions in the socio-technical regime of the Swedish heat energy system. 2017. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-new-regime-and-then-what-cracks-and-tensions-in-the-socio-technical-regime-of-the-swedish-heat-energy-system/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=A new regime and then what? Cracks and tensions in the socio-technical regime of the Swedish heat energy system |date=23 May 2017 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/a-new-regime-and-then-what-cracks-and-tensions-in-the-socio-technical-regime-of-the-swedish-heat-energy-system/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2017new, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{A new regime and then what? Cracks and tensions in the socio-technical regime of the Swedish heat energy system}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2017}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/a-new-regime-and-then-what-cracks-and-tensions-in-the-socio-technical-regime-of-the-swedish-heat-energy-system/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }