There is a lack of academic attention towards the relationship between local governments and circular economy social innovations. While academic evidence suggests that local governments and policymakers can positively affect the success of social innovations, there is a lack of in-depth studies on how exactly they support social innovation. The main question of this study: How does the municipality of Rotterdam respond to the emergence of social innovation in circular economy, specifically to CCIs? This study aims to discover what circular economy social innovations entails in the municipality of Rotterdam, what policies and policy instruments are employed by the municipality of Rotterdam vis-à-vis circular citizen initiatives, how the interaction between the municipality of Rotterdam and circular citizen initiatives affects the transformative capacity of the latter, which bottlenecks and/or tensions are experienced with regards to the relationship between the municipality and circular citizens initiatives, and how the bottlenecks should be resolved according to circular citizen initiatives and the municipality of Rotterdam. The Local Climate Policy and Action framework, and transformative social innovation theory are utilised to develop semi-structured interviews. Said interviews are conducted among two civil servants who are involved with the citizen initiative, six participants of the citizen initiatives, and two academic experts. The results reveal four main bottlenecks: clashing institutional logics, tensions between civil servant and CCI participants, municipal and national regulations, clashing ideas of value-creation, and provision of accommodation. Analysis also revealed that the municipality does improve the transformative capacity of CCIs, albeit to a limited extent. Subsequently, these results discussed and explain using historic accepted practises that ensue from historic institutional logics. The paper continues by drawing conclusions regarding the discussed results and answering the research questions. Finally, recommendations for future research are made.

The thesis analyses the role of public participation and energy justice perceptions of local stakeholders on policy-making in the heating transition in the district Mariahoeve in The Hague. The thesis shows that the municipality of The Hague approaches public participation both top-down and bottom-up. Participants mainly expressed justice concerns in relation to communication, outcome fairness, outcome favourability, and distribution of responsibilities. In reaction to the preferred scenario of the municipality, participants proposed to include a low temperature district heating system in the assessment for the most suitable heating solution. Analysis of the interactions between policymakers and stakeholders indicates a willingness of policymakers to hear the concerns of participants. However, the municipality can be more clear in its communication about how the heating transition will be organized in Mariahoeve.

Zero emission buses (ZEBs) have become an important part of the transition to sustainable urban transport. In 2016 the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment and 14 transport authorities signed a “Zero Emission Regional Public Transport by Bus” administrative agreement, stating that from 2025 onward all new buses must use 100% renewable energy and from 2030 all buses must be fully emission free. Since then the Dutch public transport system has added more than 1000 battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses to their bus fleet. These shifts towards increased sustainable mobility are influenced by policy changes and innovation in technology and institutions. In order to explain how such complex socio-technical transitions develop, it is therefore important to look at them from both a socio-technical and a policy perspective. Technological innovation and policy innovation are analyzed in different research fields, namely innovation studies and policy studies. In policy theory technological changes are considered as exogenous events, which can also be said about the multiple streams framework (MSF). It does not consider the differences in innovation patterns of technologies, which is the case in most policy literature. Meanwhile in technology transition theory policy changes are seen as a mere black box, which can be seen in the multilevel perspective (MLP) as well. It does not include the ways that policies develop. This makes it difficult to identify important policy-technology feedback links and dynamics in sustainability transitions. This research looks at the way in which the MLP and the MSF complement each other in order to provide a more holistic explanation of sustainability transitions and how this can be used in future research for theory synthesis. This will be done through a case study of the ongoing transition to ZEBs in the Dutch public transport sector. The aim of this research is to find ways in which the two frameworks strengthen one another, based on the findings of the case study. The results will then be used to generate a proposition to help synthesize and develop a conceptual framework in future research, which combines the MSF and MLP in order to have a more comprehensive explanation of sustainability transitions.

In a rapidly expanding offshore wind market, governments are evaluating their role in the support of the export of their domestic companies. This thesis looks at what roles governments utilize in the export domain of offshore wind. Four governmental roles are identified and their prevalence is rated in different stages of a novel representation of the export process. A framework of these roles and export stages is applied to the Dutch, Danish and German offshore wind sector by performing a comparative case study. The case studies are conducted using a combination of desk study and 26 expert interviews. The study finds a range of recommendations for the Dutch government to improve its promotion of exports in the Dutch sector. Additionally, the study finds a range of patterns of prevalences of governmental roles which are discussed. The instruments and roles utilized in the earlier stages of the export process are theorized to be more technology-related, the instruments and roles later in the export process are more generalizable for all export processes.

This research focusses on providing guidelines on how energy flat multifunctionalurban blocks can be designed, including governance components.   First of all, architectural design can play a significant role in reducing themismatch over time. With architectural design the space heating demand can bereduced and the cooling demand can be increased. Additionally, for well-insulatedbuildings the energy system that is most suited largely depends on thefunctional program of the area. When the area has a lot of functional area witha high heat-cold ratio, i.e. more cooling demand than heating demand, energyexchange can increase its autonomy. With the introduction of continuous coolingeven more energy can be exchanged between functions and the energy system isless dependent on other technologies to supply heat other than subtracting heatfrom the building itself and use it as heat source.         For energy flat multifunctional urban blocks optimization of the overall energysystem through stakeholder collaboration and integral technological approach isa key component. Hence, these energy systems are becoming quite complex. Inorder for the concept of energy flatness to be taken up the supply, paymentregulations and distribution of energy within an urban block should befinanced, maintained and operated by a third party, an Energy servicecontracting company (ESCO).

Amidst the discourse regarding the decentralization of urban energy systems, energy community has emerged as a solution for optimizing the electricity demand and distributed generation. Community energy projects also facilitate collaboration amongst local prosumers. An energy community is a collective of residential electricity consumers (or prosumers) and non-energy small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) formulating a social network involved in decentralized energy production. This study is focused on exploring demand response opportunities in community energy projects located in the Netherlands to reduce their dependence on the grid. Existing studies on community energy projects are primarily focused on residential members, and have little to no inclusion of nonresidential community members. However, recent studies regarding demand response in the energy community highlight the benefits of having a mixed configuration of residential and non-residential members. Introducing non-residential community members such as SMEs, offices, and schools with a complementary demand profile can help the community in attaining self-sufficiency through demand response. Formulating energy communities with a mixed configuration (i.e. including residential and non-residential community members) optimizes local electricity generation and consumption thus avoiding congestion in the distribution network....

Climate change has devastating effects on society, increasing the risk of natural disasters and associated health issues. These effects are caused by the greenhouse gases emitted by humans. Aligned with the Paris Agreement, the Dutch government aims to achieve a 100% reduction in emissions by 2050, striving for climate neutrality. Climate justice, an emerging theoretical concept, recognizes the unevenly distributed burdens and benefits of carbon emissions and calls for effective mitigation strategies. One of the most polluting sectors is the energy sector, which still heavily relies on fossil fuels. To achieve climate neutrality, a transition to sustainable forms of energy is necessary. Energy justice, a theoretical framework advocating for equitable energy distribution, representative energy decision-making, and a balanced cost-benefit distribution among citizens, has gained traction in recent academic literature. In the Netherlands, the energy transition is governed at regional and local levels through regional energy strategies. However, understanding of local and regional governance in this context is somewhat limited. This research combines the concepts of regional governance and the energy justice framework and applies them to the Rotterdam-The Hague energy region. The research objectives of this thesis are to comprehend regional energy decision-making, identify stakeholders experiencing energy injustices, examine how these injustices are currently addressed, and propose potential improvements. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach involving interviews and media analysis, the research reveals instances of energy injustices experienced by citizens in this region, including energy poverty. While the regional and local governments are presently unaware of this framework, they acknowledge the importance of a just energy transition and are actively developing strategies to mitigate these injustices. Policy recommendations encompass various levels: providing structural financial support to local governments at the national level, promoting knowledge exchange and cross-border collaboration at the regional level, and enhancing citizen participation, ownership in energy projects, and insulation programs at the local level. In conclusion, this thesis offers valuable insights into local and regional energy transition governance, focusing on energy justice, energy poverty, and citizen participation.

In the face of the current environmental crisis led by the extended use of fossil fuels to cover society’s energy needs, sustainability objectives have been defined around the world. In the European Union, the European Green Deal has emerged as a leading guideline for its member states to achieve energy neutrality by 2050. The Netherlands has acted accordingly establishing its Climate Act, and setting ambitious objectives for this same year. Among these objectives, a full halt in natural gas use finds its way. Considering that the building sector, and specifically households, present a high consumption of energy, it results important to analyze how this sector can reduce its gas consumption and migrate towards the use of renewable heat systems. The importance of behavioral characteristics and policy conditions that surround households regarding this transition has not been studied in depth in the documented literature and therefore stands as an opportunity area that this thesis covers. For achieving this, an agent-based model was developed using NetLogo, taking into account the characteristics of the Dutch population, being represented in the form of a sample neighborhood. The technical settings available in the model represent mature technologies that are currently in use in the Netherlands, and that can be used collectively or individually. Complementing and supporting these technologies, the Dutch government has made available a series of policy instruments, namely subsidies and credits, that financially support households in acquiring them. The availability of these subsidies is mainly dependent on the type of household ownership and additional factors, which are included in the model. A behavioral theory known as the theory of planned behavior was implemented to define the households’ behavior. This theory links three elements, namely attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, to the final intention of households to execute an action. Regarding this specific topic, the study found out that the main beliefs that influence attitude are environmental friendliness, awareness of gas-saving measures, energy independence and economic drive. The subjective norms, which relate to social influence, are represented through the concept of belief dynamics, which develops the idea that social connections can shape a household’s set of beliefs. Finally, perceived behavioral control, which is a measure of the apparent facility to execute a certain action, is reflected in four main external elements, namely the availability of subsidies, the municipality efforts, time availability, and financial capability of households. The results of the model showed that with the current conditions, the Netherlands would be able to achieve a total of 55% of gas-free households by 2050. This, in turn, would represent a reduction of 45% of the current natural gas being used. To evaluate the extent to which behavioral characteristics and policy conditions influence the heat transition, additional scenarios were developed, where random behavioral attributes were assigned. Following the same line, additional scenarios were defined where the number of available subsidies and the amount awarded per subsidy varied, in addition to a scenario with a higher gas price. These scenarios showed that behavioral characteristics are a very relevant factor and can shape the extent to which the heat transition can be achieved. The policy conditions showed an influence, both in the extent of the heat transition and on the uptake of specific technologies. However, the amount awarded per subsidy and the price of gas showed no relevant differences in gas consumption or technology choice. The results provide insights into the possibilities for policymakers to ensure that this transition is fulfilled. Policies should target the beliefs of society, either by inducing people into them or by reinforcing them. Besides this, technology choice seems to be directly influenced by the number of subsidies available for each specific technology, which could be useful to target specific technologies that might result more promising than others. Finally, considering that varying the amount awarded per subsidy did not generate a substantial difference, there is a possibility to redefine the subsidy schemes and reallocate this financial means to support the tenants, which is currently the group with the most restricted access to subsidies.

To mitigate climate change by transforming the energy system citizen involvement is crucial. Citizen involvement can help achieve these goals as well as accelerate the transition, by harnessing local knowledge for the improvement of plans, creating a support base and the opportunity for citizens to come up with their own initiatives. Therefore this research is evaluating the preference of citizen segments for different participation methods in the energy transition, for different governance levels. A Latent Class Cluster Analysis (LCCA) is applied to data received from a survey, resulting in a classification of respondents based on attitudes towards participation, which can be identified by some characteristics resulting from demographic values and attitudes towards climate change. Additional interviews with policy-makers and citizen representatives identified challenges and opportunities for the integration of citizens' attitudes towards participation and participation processes in The Netherlands. Primary conclusions are that there are no fundamental differences in the participation methods applied to different governance levels, just as the preferences themselves do not vary significantly. Moreover, the majority of citizens appreciate being involved with participation. Therefore, the effort for participation can result in automatic alignment between the preferences and central and decentral participation. One of the main barriers identified is the disparity between the system world, where policies are formulated and the energy transition is planned, and the living world, which represents how citizens experience and perceive these changes. Opportunities for closing this gap are sharing results of participation processes with different governance levels, improving information provided to citizens and improving connection with the community by becoming more visible and organizing more participation.

This research focusses on the decision-making processes of energy regions regarding the energy transition in The Netherlands. The Netherlands has ratified the Climate Agreement in 2019, which thirty energy regions combined need to put in their efforts to reach the target of producing 35 TWh in 2030. One of the key elements in the energy regions is the active involvement of citizens through participation. However, a good relationship between the municipalities in the energy region is not self-evident. The thirty energy regions in the Netherlands have the task to form and lead and provide access to information and other forms of citizen support. Every energy region takes its own approach to involve citizens in their energy transition decision-making. Therefore, it is interesting to study to what extent and in which manners energy regions are able to involve citizens in the RES decision-making and in which ways governments are able to live up to their own participation goals. This embedded case study focusses on energy region Holland Rijnland, with a focus on six municipalities in this region: Katwijk, Leiden, Lisse, Zoeterwoude, Alphen aan den Rijn and Nieuwkoop. Taken the challenges and research objectives from previous paragraphs into consideration, the following main research question can be formed: “In which ways is citizen participation present, organized and influencing the initiation, design and implementation phases of the energy transition in the energy region Holland Rijnland?”

The purpose of this research is to study the implementation of ecological modernization branding in the cities of The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht in the Netherlands. These cities use ecological modernization branding to attract people, projects and investments. For example, they may project the image of being ‘smart’ and commission projects to showcase that they are in fact a smart city. However, the overall image that appears from the literature is that there exists a substantial gap between the brand image and its actual implementation. An assessment framework is synthesized in order to carry out this study, this analytical framework addresses numerous aspects: municipal input, throughput and output factors, the local action arena, projects and outcomes to assess the implementation. To this end, the main research question is: How do the three Dutch cities in the ‘Randstad’ i.e. Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague implement the programs, policies and attract investments that adhere to the city brands they project? A comparative case study approach is best suited as we can identify similarities, differences and themes across regions and cities using the assessment framework to analyze the cases. Methods used will primarily be desk research and interviews to complement the comparative study and will add nuance to our understanding of ÈM branding. The results revealed three types of EM brand labels present in these cities.

The urgent need to address global warming and achieve the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Agreement necessitates an energy transition in Europe, with offshore wind energy in the North Sea playing a vital role. Despite the complexity of the North Sea's offshore energy system, the existing literature lacks a comprehensive study of the entire system, especially the crucial transmission aspects connecting onshore and offshore systems. This master thesis addresses this research gap by applying an Extended Multi-Level Perspective (E-MLP) framework to the North Sea offshore energy system. The study begins with an analysis of actors involved in the energy transition, utilizing methods like social network analysis (SNA), PESTLE analysis, and scenario analysis. The focus is on the Dutch and German electricity transmission system operator, specifically its department Grid Field Operations - Offshore (GFO-O), to understand how E-MLP can enhance comprehension of the complex and dynamic nature of the North Sea offshore energy system. Through a mixed method approach, combining MLP, actor analysis, SNA, PESTLE analysis, and Socio-Technical Scenarios, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and applied to gain a holistic understanding of the system. The research reveals that the North Sea offshore energy system is heavily influenced by onshore developments, supply chain considerations, grid congestion, and demand flexibility. The use of artificial intelligence enables niche innovations, while the role of small nuclear reactors is limited. Offshore focuses on energy hubs, standardization, and wind park expansion, but moving further offshore increases vulnerability. The future role of hydrogen remains uncertain, and cybersecurity and multi-use of space are crucial factors. The study offers recommendations for GFO-O to strengthen its position, attract digital talent, invest in AI capabilities, explore demand flexibility, and investigate green hydrogen production. Policymakers should prioritize multi-use of space and engage with the military to address security threats. Incentivizing demand flexibility at the consumer level can support renewable energy production and ease the offshore system's burden. This research contributes to the field by applying the E-MLP framework to the North Sea offshore energy system, examining actor interactions, informal institutions, and providing valuable insights for scenario analysis. However, the study acknowledges potential limitations in data availability, interview perspectives, and social network analysis. Future research can delve into specific factors such as the offshore supply chain, explore heterogeneous analysis of the oil and gas sector, and apply E-MLP to other energy transition regimes, extending the study's impact and refining the framework's application. In conclusion, this master thesis enhances the understanding of the North Sea offshore energy system and provides policy-relevant insights for inclusive policymaking, supporting Europe's energy transition efforts to combat global warming.

An exploratory case study research into possible forms of governance in shrinking urban areas.

The Dutch government is committed to transitioning to a low-carbon economy. District heating networks are considered essential for achieving this transition. This research aims to compare two different methods of involving citizens in decision-making and development related to district heating networks. The novel Participatory Value Evaluation (PVE) method is compared to a general survey to explore differences in the results of these two. The research approach encompasses multiple components, including 12 stakeholder interviews, the design and use of a Participatory Value Evaluation (PVE) and survey and subsequent analysis. The survey and PVE were even and randomly distributed across 2700 citizens of the neighbourhood Blijdorp in Rotterdam. This led to 138 completed PVE’s or surveys. As a last step the results of the two different consultations were analysed in terms of reaching the stakeholders goals. The research findings indicate that a Participatory Value Evaluation and survey have different results in incorporating the goals of the involved stakeholders. The PVE was able to create more detailed input for the stakeholders and was better in creating understanding of the complexity of the problems the stakeholders are facing. However, it is important to acknowledge that respondents in the PVE took longer to complete the evaluation and the PVE was rated more challenging than the survey. As a result, the response rate for the PVE was only half as much as the survey. This research contributes to the field of research into public participation in multiple ways. Firstly, the PVE has been applied in a new context. It has been shown that a PVE can be utilised to address the challenges of engaging citizens in the establishment of heat networks. Secondly, most studies on a PVE as a participatory method lack comparative research. This study demonstrates that a PVE and survey have distinct advantages and disadvantages. The identified advantages and disadvantages have been compared to findings from other studies on PVE. While some align with existing research, others present contrasting results.

The aim of the thesis investigates and addresses what strategies municipalities can use in relation to collaborative action in a collaborative governance setting to facilitate heat transition at regional scale. The heat transition is a multifaceted problem where fragmentation and a deficient direction role of municipalities is a key institutional challenge. To address the problem, regional energy strategies are established to collaborate with state and non-state stakeholders, but the heat transition is still stagnating today. Collaborative governance is a governing arrangement that engages public and non-public organizations in a collective decision-making process to implement public policy to resolve social-technical problems. However, today the application of the collaborative governance theory is scarce on sustainable transformation. For this reason, the author decided to apply a collaborative governance lense on the current situation for heat transition. The thesis first examines the collaborative governance framework, which is the most suitable to apply in relation to heat transition. In the second step, the selection of a comparative empirical research methodology is selected. Third, two RES regions with rural characteristics are investigated to get insight into the current situation. Lastly, the empirical findings are discussed in relation to current collaborative governance literature and governmental policy. Finally, recommendations for municipalities and other regional stakeholders can be provided. The empirical findings show that collaborative governance conditions are rarely present to facilitate the heat transition at regional scale. The author identified crucial conditions within the system context and collaborative governance process itself, which is explainable by the iterative nature of the model. The conditions include the current deficient policy and legal framework, high level of contention among citizens, inadequate resource conditions. In the collaborative governance regime itself this results in lack of interdependence, trust and high level of uncertainty, through which no shared interest or common language are practiced. The thesis concludes with recommendations for the regional collaboration regarding heat transition for practitioners and for future research on collaborative governance.

To achieve 23% renewable energy by 2025, 29% emission reduction by 2030, and net zero emission in 2060, Indonesia needs to accelerate the transition to renewable energy such as solar energy. Despite the abundant solar energy potential, the contribution of solar PV has only reached 0.05% of the energy mix in 2021 (MEMR, 2021). The development of solar PV face challenges such as land availability, land acquisition, geographical problem, and timely permits (Patil et al., 2017). A niche rooftop PV serves as an alternative to solve these problems. This study focuses on rooftop PV niche development in the sustainability transition of Indonesia.  The sustainability transition is a complex process due to the involvement of various stakeholders (Geels et al., 2017). Moreover, Indonesia's high dependency on fossil fuels adds complexity to the transition. Therefore, it is necessary to study the development of rooftop PV in Indonesia to investigate factors influencing the niche development, address the sociotechnical aspect, and identify barriers and opportunities for broader diffusion. This research uses qualitative analysis by adopting Strategic niche management (SNM) with complementary insights from the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and business model. A case study was selected to gain a clearer understanding of different rooftop PV business models in three provinces (Jakarta, Banten and West Java). The data collection was conducted using interviews with 15 respondents from various groups and desk research. The study aims to answer the question, “How has the rooftop PV niche developed in Indonesia, and to what extent do business models influence niche development?” The results show that rooftop PV was initially developed in the 1990s through a solar home system innovation in Sukatani village. Landscape factors influencing niche development are low electrification in rural areas, the Asian financial crisis, energy security, climate change, covid-19, and international market pressure. At the regime level, factors include development plan (e.g., Repelita), regulation (e.g., net-metering), and dominant stakeholder PLN (e.g., permit approval) founded influencing the niche development. Another factor, such as the learning process (e.g., demonstration project, survey, and knowledge transfer), provided learning to the technical, policy development, and public awareness. The result shows niche development of rooftop PV faces financial, institutional, policy, technical and awareness barriers. Niche actors have implemented business models to overcome the barriers. The host-owned business model is developed to provide access for the consumer to be prosumers who can benefit from the feed-in tariffs. The third-party business model enables users to overcome the high-upfront cost barriers. Meanwhile, the cooperative business model operated by KUD emerged using grants in the early 1990s to facilitate the coordination of the increased participation of international donors, banks, suppliers and villagers. However, the role of the cooperative business models has decreased due to the economic crisis and the decline in the use of rooftop PV in rural areas. Lastly, this study shows the importance of shielding strategies in supporting Indonesia’s rooftop PV niche development. Therefore, this thesis recommends that the government should consider and systematically use the shielding concept in formulating regulations on energy transition.

The Dutch government published a Climate Accord in 2019 which stated that all houses in the Netherlands should be heated without CO2 emissions. The Dutch built environment is currently being heated with natural gas which forces actors within the heating system of the Dutch built environment to look for new technologies. At the same time, the increasing electricity demand results in grid congestion. This thesis investigates the use of hydrogen for heating homes in the Netherlands and explores different future scenarios. The research question that is being answered in this thesis is “What is the development status of the hydrogen niche for heating homes in the Dutch-built environment and which socio-technical scenarios can be expected?’’. The theoretical frameworks, Multi-level Perspective, Strategic Niche Management, and Socio-technical scenarios were complementary used to analyse the context. With these theories, the interaction between technology and social elements have been analysed. Additionally, a qualitative study is executed by conducting 14 semi-structured interviews with experts from the field. There are various hydrogen technologies developed for built environments. Some technologies are focussed on space heating like the hydrogen boilers in combination with a heat pump. While there are also technologies being developed which are primarily aimed at addressing the electrical net congestion challenge like fuel cells. These fuel cells also enable decentralized hydrogen production and storage. However, the feasibility is doubted among the interviewers due to limited scalability and safety concerns. Currently, the top-of-mind barriers regarding the adoption of hydrogen in the Dutch built environment are mainly the uncertainty about the availability of green hydrogen, future prices, labour shortage, and user acceptance. The dominant barrier is the uncertainty about hydrogen availability. Due to still lacking availability of hydrogen companies are hesitant to invest resources in the development of hydrogen applications. The barrier labour shortage has not been found in previous literature, which makes this finding a novel contributions to academic research. In this study 2 socio-technical scenarios regarding hydrogen in the Dutch built environment are formulated. In scenario 1 a reconfiguration transition occurs, whereas in scenario 2 a transformational transition occurs. These scenarios differ on the extent the electricity grid congestion is resolved. In both scenarios an extensive international hydrogen market established. Scenario 1 deals with a large amount of hydrogen and poor electricity grid capacity. In this scenario, hydrogen will be used as an alternative energy carrier to the built environment by utilizing fuel cells. Scenario 1's demonstration that fuel cells can be part of the solution for the electricity grid congestion. In scenario 2, the hydrogen economy is established and there is a resolved grid issue, which will lead to hydrogen being used for direct space heating. This study shows how the niche could react to the development of hydrogen availability and the ability of the network operator’s electricity grid capacity in determining the role of hydrogen in the Dutch built environment. Additionally, it underscores the significance of government commitment and proactive policies for sustainable energy transitions.

The Paris Agreement seeks to limit global temperature rise and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The UN's Sustainable Development Goal 7 emphasizes sustainable energy access, with smart grids playing a crucial role. These grids adapt to user behavior and interconnect various components. While smart grids address challenges in integrating renewable energy, their complex socio-technical nature demands a multidisciplinary approach. Institutions are vital in smart grid development, but their importance often goes unnoticed. The interplay of stakeholders, technology, and institutions complicates smart grid implementation. Although existing research largely focuses on technical aspects, a holistic approach considering social, economic, environmental, and institutional dimensions is essential. This study aims to bridge this gap by employing the Institutional Analysis & Development (IAD) framework to enhance the Netherlands' electricity/energy system design, particularly at the community level, concerning the impacts of institutional rules on smart grid development and implementation. The chosen research approach is a comparative case study, focusing on smart grid integration in the Netherlands. The Institutional Analysis and Development framework aids in analyzing complex socio-technical systems, particularly energy transitions and smart grids. Three cases were examined: Schoonschip Amsterdam, GridFlex Heeten, and Groene Mient The Hague. Data collection involved literature review and 14 semi-structured interviews with experts and stakeholders. Interview data was deductively coded using the IAD framework, facilitating comparative case analysis and cross-case analysis using the ASI diagram (Actors, System & Institutions). The transition of the Dutch electricity system into a competitive liberalized market has increased the importance of smart grids for sustainability. Decentralized energy production, facilitated by smart grids, requires technological advancements and institutional changes at various levels. Successful smart grid implementation in the Netherlands involves obtaining exemptions, feasibility studies, and engaging legal entities like homeowners' associations and energy cooperatives. Cases emphasized the significance of pre-exemption feasibility studies, technological requirements, stakeholders like Distribution System Operators, and energy management systems. The findings highlight the uniqueness of each case and the role of institutional rules. In Schoonschip, boundary, position, choice, and payoff rules were pivotal. GridFlex highlighted position, choice, information, and scope rules. Groene Mient showcased boundary, position, choice, payoff, and scope rules. These case studies underscore complexities in decision-making and governance within smart grid initiatives. Successful implementation requires considering technology, institutions, and stakeholders as indicated by the ASI diagram. The IAD framework analysis reveals the impact of biophysical conditions, community attributes, and rules-in-use on smart grid outcomes. Recommendations include further research on evolving rules, understanding actor positions, interdisciplinary research, integrated decision-making frameworks, empirical case studies, and policy recommendations such as financial support, clear policy roles, local smart energy systems, positive framing, standardized data exchange, and umbrella organizations for cohesive local smart grid projects. In conclusion, the study underscores the intricate nature of smart grid implementation, emphasizing the need for comprehensive consideration of technology, institutions, and stakeholders. The IAD framework sheds light on the complex dynamics, guiding effective decision-making and policy formulation for successful local smart grid development.

The accessibility and affordability of small scale renewable energy sources cause a shift towards an decentralized energy system with distributed electricity generation. Together with the increased attention to responsible innovation, the polycentric development of multiple governing authorities gives room for social innovation. This empowers citizens to become prosumers via Local Renewable Energy Communities (LREOs). Despite the trend towards more polycentricity, the mismatch between the existing regulations and rules - with focus on system efficiency, reliability and affordability – and the growing attention to new sustainability related concerns of social equality, environmental well-being and energy autarky is seen as the cause for the emergence of LREOs. This manuscript explores how these new sustainability related concerns, evoked by climate events, influences the value systems of citizens and subsequently lead to the emergence of LREOs. By using agent based modelling approach, this research incorporates multiple scales of analysis, diverse agent configuration and focus on the emergence of structures at the societal level from individual actions. The constructed agent based model uses an illustrative approach to showcase how the impact of disruptive climate events changes the value systems of citizens. Over the course of the simulation the citizens take part in the three core mechanisms of the model. First citizens slowly become responsible citizen by recognizing the sustainability related concerns evoked due to climatic disrupting events. Second, due to social learning and the recognition of the sustainability related concerns, citizens change their value prioritization. Third, citizens decide, based on their responsibility, value prioritization (motives) and leadership capacities, to adjust their energy provision by choosing between i) Fossil fuel market (market entity that supplies fossil fuel generated electricity), ii) Sustainable market (market entity that supplies sustainable generated electricity), iii) individual pv-owner (citizens buy solar pv panels for individual use), and iv) joining/initiating an LREO. In this thesis I will show that in each of these core mechanisms, values and value change play a dominant role. The experiments show that during the process of recognizing the sustainability related concerns, citizens from the value orientation Growth and Personal-Focus mainly struggle to acknowledge their own contribution to the problem of climate change, while citizens from the Social-Focus and Self-Protection-Focus population scenarios tend to stagnate because of disbelieve in the impact of individual actions. For the second mechanism, change in value prioritization, the analysis have shown that within the Mixed population scenario, the social pressure of friends hinder citizens to ascribe more priority to sustainable related values. Interestingly, within populations with a homogeneous value prioritization the combination of social learning and the completion of the responsibility-cycle led to the increased prioritization of the sustainability related values of universalism and benevolence. These so-called divergent patterns of change in value prioritization is more often observed among social networks with citizens who were social competent and receptive to new opinions (Growth and Personal-Focusvalue orientations).For the third mechanism, the emergence of LREOs, the experiments demonstrate that only within the population scenarios with the Growth and Mixed value orientations the emergence of LREOs was visible. This was due to the fact that only within these two scenarios, populations contained a large group of citizens i) who recognized the concerns of sustainability, ii) who were community-oriented, iii) who were willing to act, iv) whom of which a small group was capable to lead, and v) who jointly agreed on the organisational form and technology in-use. The experiments have shown a big diversity in the agency, goals and preferences between different population-scenarios. This research made a methodological contribution by introducing the new concept of perception thermometers to study the impact of value-weighted experiences, events and information on the value prioritization system of citizens. Next to the perception thermometers, the scientific contribution of this research study showcases how to integrate new values (e.g. energy justice) within the existing Value Circumplex of Schwartz by considering it as a change in value specification. Moreover, this research used a holistic approach of analysing the emergence of LREOs as it combines external factors (e.g. consistent energy policies) with social factors (e.g. disagreements during board meetings due to the different motives of individuals) and individual characteristics (e.g. responsibility, motives, leadership capacities). Applying this multiple perspective of studying the emergence of LREOs in practise, creates a better understanding why LREOs emerge and how to stimulate/facilitate their founding process. These insights allow a more in-depth understanding of the emergence LREOs and can equip relevant researchers and practitioners with fruitful knowledge.

Research on circular economy in the construction industry is only recently gaining momentum. A circular economy does not produce any waste. The construction sector is the most polluting sector in the Netherlands and uses 50% of the used raw materials. Therefore, circular building methods might decrease the demand on raw materials in the Dutch construction sector. This research aims to identify what factors can stimulate the adoption of circular building methods by the general contractor. In this research a cross-case analysis is conducted with two building projects that aimed to use circular building methods. During the interviews for these case studies, some barriers for the adoption of circular building methods were identified. The six barriers which are mentioned most often are the perception of high costs, limited regulation, lack of a circular business model, unattractive esthetics, negative attitude from actors involved, and lack of integrality within the building process. To have a positive influence on the adoption of circular building methods, and resolve the identified barriers, the general contractor may take the role of an integral manager to manage the social network, supply chain, and building process and facilitate the learning process. When taking this role it is suggested that the general contractor works together with other actors to develop a new business model. This new business model should aim to take away the current barriers for circular building methods. The main difference between any other innovation in the building sector and circular building methods is that circularity needs more integrality. Other innovations are often only on a specific part of the project, it suffices with only changing or managing on a small part of a building project. However, circularity affects every small part of a project and therefore needs an integral manager.