Pathways, risks, and uncertainties 265
Country study
Implementation risk
Consequential risk
Switzerland – renewable
energy
Policies
•    Conflicting views on 
ES2050
•    Complex permitting for 
infrastructure
Socio-economic
•    Insufficient for public 
support for energy imports
•    Lack of acceptance of 
wind turbines
•    Principal agent problem 
for renters
Technology impact
•    Intermittent supply from 
PV
•    High cost of seasonal 
storage
•    Increased vulnerability of 
transmission grid to
extreme weather for
energy imports
Kenya – geothermal energy Technology (investments)
•    High risk, high cost 
venture
Policies and politics
•    Political uncertainty 
around national and
county governance of
resource use
Social-economic
•    Community opposition 
to potential resettlement
and changes in land
access
Technology impact
•    Application of technology 
can lead to environmental
degradation if process of
monitoring and penalising
is not clear and enforced
Policies and politics
•    Tariff increases if supply–
demand gap emerges
•    Lack of local benefitsharing if Energy Bill
continues to be delayed
Pathways energy efficient building sectors
China – energy efficiency
in the building sector
Technology (investment)
•    Lack of market financing 
channel/investment
Policies and politics
•    Weak monitoring and 
policies innovation/
enforcement
•    EE technologies 
innovation deviating the
low-carbon aims
Social-economic
•    Low perception of lowcarbon transition and
lock-in behaviours from
the public
Technological impact
•    Technological 
improvements can lead to
increasing land demands
Social-economic
•    Social justice and climate/
energy poverty
•    Increases in living cost
Table 14.2 Continued
continued