Michael Ornetzeder | Austrian Academy of Sciences (original) (raw)

Uploads

Papers by Michael Ornetzeder

Sustainability, Apr 25, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

A central claim of sustainable development is the far-reaching use of renewable forms of energy. ... more A central claim of sustainable development is the far-reaching use of renewable forms of energy. This article focuses on the fact that solar water heaters are much more popular in Austria than in most other European countries. The enormous success of solar heaters in the 1990s is explained by two speci c social phenomena that only can be observed in Austria: rst, by a self-construction movement, consisting of single do-it-yourself groups started in the early 1980s that has spread throughout Austria. A major aspect of this movement was a comprehensive diÚusion strategy that made it easy for nearly everyone to get a solar water system. Second, an atypical group of adopters were responsible for the unexpected dissemination success. Most of these early adopters were households in rural regions, interested in solar heaters due to a feature that already played a central role in the very beginning of this technology-more personal comfort. The close connection between the self-construction movement and early users enabled ongoing technical improvements of the system, which were adopted by commercial producers and installation companies.

Urban Sustainability Transitions

Social Science Research Network, 2022

Hrsg.: Institut fur Technikfolgen-Abschatzung (ITA) der Osterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaf... more Hrsg.: Institut fur Technikfolgen-Abschatzung (ITA) der Osterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (OAW) & AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Innovation Systems Department Projektleitung der Studie: Michael Nentwich (ITA) und Petra Schaper-Rinkel (AIT) AutorInnen: Peter Biegelbauer (AIT), Josef Frohlich (AIT), Michael Nentwich (ITA), Walter Peissl (ITA), Petra Schaper-Rinkel (AIT), Ulrike Bechtold (ITA), Klaus Kubecko (AIT), Michael Ornetzeder (ITA) Koordination des Projekts F&TA: Michael Nentwich (ITA) und Josef Frohlich (AIT)

Evaluation in Progress - Strategies for Environmental Research and Implementation (IAPS 18 Conference Proceedings on CD-Rom), 2004

ABSTRACT Automatisiertes Lastmanagement hat das Potenzial, in einem zukünftigen, mit Kommunikatio... more ABSTRACT Automatisiertes Lastmanagement hat das Potenzial, in einem zukünftigen, mit Kommunikationsinfrastruktur ausgestattetem Stromnetz durch Verschiebung von elektrischen Lasten trotz einer hohen Dichte an erneuerbarer Erzeugung die Leistungsbalance zu gewährleisten. Dieses Paper stellt eine systematische Herangehensweise vor, die eine umfassende Bewertung und Weiterentwicklung von Lastmanagement-Szenarien ermöglicht. Es wird ein neuer Ansatz zur Integration der Entwicklung und Bewertung solcher Szenarien vorgestellt und vier erfolgsversprechende Modelle von Komponenten zukünftiger elektrischer Energieversorgungssysteme eingehender analysiert. Das Problem fehlender Umsetzungen wird anhand dieser Szenarien beispielhaft für Österreich durch eine interdisziplinäre Betrachtung des Phänomens Lastmanagement hinsichtlich technischer, sozialer, ökonomischer und ökologischer Aspekte untersucht. Ergebnis dieser Betrachtung sind neben Analyseergebnissen eine Bewertung der Szenarien und die daraus gewonnenen Empfehlungen für neue Rahmensetzer und die Forschungsförderung.

Epj Web of Conferences, 2012

Reducing greenhouse gases by 80%, as demanded by the IPCC, is one of the great long-term challeng... more Reducing greenhouse gases by 80%, as demanded by the IPCC, is one of the great long-term challenges facing our societies today and will doubtless require transformative changes to current energy regimes. Large-scale system transitions such as the one envisaged for the global energy system in the next 30-40 years can only be realized through complex processes of change involving global, regional, national, and local levels. In this paper we use sociotechnical scenario analysis to contribute ideas for the transformative change of the current Austrian energy system over the long term and to identify some of the particular policy measures, as well as structural changes and broader shifts in perspective, that would be necessary to deal with such challenges. There is less emphasis on the technical issues involved than on the socioeconomic and governance requirements such a shift would demand. We also explain our experiences with the sociotechnical scenario process and its outcomes. In particular, we identify examples of some critical issues and opportunities within one of the identified key action fields and discuss their various implications for energy policy and everyday practices.

Das Telefon, der Personalcomputer, dänische Windräder–diese drei Technologien haben eines gemeins... more Das Telefon, der Personalcomputer, dänische Windräder–diese drei Technologien haben eines gemeinsam: sie sind weltweit erfolgreich. Und es gibt noch eine weitere–vielleicht etwas überraschende–Gemeinsamkeit. In allen drei Fällen lieferten Nutzer/-innen in frühen Entwicklungsphasen wertvolle Impulse, ja zum Teil lag die technische Entwicklung fast zur Gänze in der Hand von Nutzer/-innen. Auch in jüngster Zeit fliegen die Erwartungen an den Beitrag von Nutzer/-innen zu neuen Produkten und Technologien hoch. Vor allem der ...

Sustainability, Oct 17, 2019

There is a multitude of experimentation, pilot and demonstration projects across Europe aiming to... more There is a multitude of experimentation, pilot and demonstration projects across Europe aiming to reconfigure energy consumption and production systems. Demo-projects and experiments have been recognized as important instruments to implement sustainability transitions in practice. Transition scholars have done much to clarify how we should understand experiments and pilot projects, focusing on involved actors, what is learned, and how the knowledge is used. In this paper we study two pilot project and discuss their qualities as sites that bundle new systemic properties, technologies, regulations, business models and user practices in new ways. We discuss these cases as new configurations with promising transformative implications. The two cases studied are a Norwegian and an Austrian smart grid demonstration. Both cases represent companies that have transformed their relation to and participation in the transport system as an outcome of pilot projects and experiments. The study analyses the complexity of factors influencing the effectiveness and success of these reconfigurations in providing destabilization and change within until now relatively stable regimes.

Energy Policy, 2006

In this paper we will pose the question whether a higher level of user participation could be use... more In this paper we will pose the question whether a higher level of user participation could be used as a strategy to improve the development and dissemination of sustainable energy technologies. We will especially focus on user-led innovation processes with a high involvement of individual end-users. In our argument we will draw on several case studies in the field of renewable energy technologies-in particular solar collectors and biomass heating systems-and sustainable building technologies. Users in these case studies were involved in the design or planning processes, sometimes in a very selective way and with limited influence, sometimes very active and for quite a long period of time. Especially in the case of renewable energy technologies self-building groups were highly successful and resulted in improved and widely disseminated technologies. Based on the empirical results of our case studies we will critically discuss the potential of user involvement (especially in selfbuilding groups) for the development and promotion of sustainable energy technologies and outline technological and social preconditions for the success of such approaches.

Open House International, Jun 1, 2010

Global Environmental Change-human and Policy Dimensions, Oct 1, 2013

Grassroots activities so far have not been sufficiently appreciated as sources of innovation. Tra... more Grassroots activities so far have not been sufficiently appreciated as sources of innovation. Transition processes towards more sustainable socio-technical energy, transport or production systems, however, are hardly imaginable without a broader participation of engaged citizens. This paper presents and compares three cases of successful grassroots innovations for sustainability. In particular we compare the development of wind technology in Denmark, the solar collector do-it-yourself movement in Austria, and the development of car sharing in Switzerland. The paper aims at a better understanding of the preconditions, patterns of growth and change and factors of success of grassroots innovations for more sustainable socio-technical regimes such as energy and transport. In the analysis we focus on dimensions such as the structural conditions and resources of origin, motivations of social actors involved, learning processes and outcomes, competences and activities of those actors, processes of institution-building, and the relationships to mainstream market actors. Based on the empirical background the paper discusses implications for the theorisation of grassroots innovations for greater sustainability and draws implications for further research.

Nomos eBooks, 2010

Auf der Suche nach nachhaltigen Anwendungsformen der Brennstoffzellentechnologie : Erfahrungen mi... more Auf der Suche nach nachhaltigen Anwendungsformen der Brennstoffzellentechnologie : Erfahrungen mit Constructive Technology Assessment