The Political Economy of Energy Transition in Mexico [védés előtt]

Renewable energy as radical innovation requires not just technology substitution, but also fundamental transformation at the system level. That means a change of social elements, such as policies, market rules, regulations for users and producers, and their behaviour. From the literature, energy transitions at a national level must understand evolution in energy markets, energy policies and energy technologies. Thus, the research explored a conceptual framework that consider the three perspectives (techno-economic, socio-technical and political). The system’s structural barriers and lock-in can cause a slow diffusion of renewable energy. If system changes are too radical, they may encounter resistance from incumbents. This may lead to failure or even a slower diffusion. This is representative for the case of Mexico, where energy developments and certain policies are encountering significant resistance and produce inconsistent reactions in communities, from economic to social to political. This research lays bare the dilemma between radical structural change (rapid speed) and the shape of directions of sustainability transitions (directionality) from the socio-technical system. The conceptual framework is explored in two contrasting case studies of wind and solar power development in Mexico. One case experienced niche acceleration while the other did not, in consequence both followed different paths. The research findings indicate on how alignment dynamics between levels’ actors (niche, regime and landscape) shape niche acceleration. Strong alignment on perceptions of radical innovation between levels, will provide a momentum for rapid speed of the transition dynamics. The research is structured as follows: Section 1 focuses on methodology, research design and theory. It introduces the three perspectives on national energy transitions to set background; Section 2 covers the operationalisation and results of the research; Finally, Section 3 provides a discussion of the results and concluding remarks.