368 S. KILPELÄINEN ET AL.
customer or as a customer merely consenting to automation offered by
the service provider handling the flexibility of her consumption, in return
of sharing some of the benefits. Arguing that “a car is not only a car”
(interview 2), the potential of cars alongside homes to fulfil functions
in grid management is stressed. Concurrently, this potential alongside
the fact that homes as well as cars are relatively large and long-term
investments for consumers also results in calls for long-term, stable policy
solutions (interview 10). Other interviewees also highlighted cars as
“moving energy storages” (interview 9); infrastructure can most likely
cope with more electric cars, and indeed their integration into the system
is needed. Utilising EVs also for the needs of the power system and the
electricity market increases the benefit of the EV to both the owner and
the power system. For example, EVs could serve as a back-up system
during energy outages (Rautiainen 2015, pp. 48 and 66).
Here, the interest in the wider socioeconomic implications that must
be part of the policy planning becomes evident. For example, how should
EV proliferation support measures be targeted so that they not only reach
mainly the economically better-positioned citizens (interview 11)? Such
questions touch on values and societal ideas that shape the ways in which
the energy system is transforming. Thus, the competing interests and
the changing roles of stakeholders also surface in the debate on energy
storage. The interviewees treated DSOs as incumbent actors on the
practical level steering the policy change towards a higher share of renewable energy sources, while new actors and fields of activity also emerge.
Overall, the shifting nature of renewables policy connotes elements of
uncertainty, such as the question of ownership of storage. While it remains
unclear if long-term negative impacts might ensue from DSOs not being
allowed to own storage, these incumbents are nevertheless pushed to
consider their choices when reacting to the changes and have to assess
how to align their interests with the wider policy interests at stake.
Conclusion
Finland has set itself ambitious targets to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the energy system in response to Nordic and
international energy and climate policy processes. Increasing the share of
renewable energy will mean that electrification, decentralisation and variability will be shaping the future energy system and necessitate moving
from a production-centric system to a consumption-centric system. This
customer or as a customer merely consenting to automation offered by
the service provider handling the flexibility of her consumption, in return
of sharing some of the benefits. Arguing that “a car is not only a car”
(interview 2), the potential of cars alongside homes to fulfil functions
in grid management is stressed. Concurrently, this potential alongside
the fact that homes as well as cars are relatively large and long-term
investments for consumers also results in calls for long-term, stable policy
solutions (interview 10). Other interviewees also highlighted cars as
“moving energy storages” (interview 9); infrastructure can most likely
cope with more electric cars, and indeed their integration into the system
is needed. Utilising EVs also for the needs of the power system and the
electricity market increases the benefit of the EV to both the owner and
the power system. For example, EVs could serve as a back-up system
during energy outages (Rautiainen 2015, pp. 48 and 66).
Here, the interest in the wider socioeconomic implications that must
be part of the policy planning becomes evident. For example, how should
EV proliferation support measures be targeted so that they not only reach
mainly the economically better-positioned citizens (interview 11)? Such
questions touch on values and societal ideas that shape the ways in which
the energy system is transforming. Thus, the competing interests and
the changing roles of stakeholders also surface in the debate on energy
storage. The interviewees treated DSOs as incumbent actors on the
practical level steering the policy change towards a higher share of renewable energy sources, while new actors and fields of activity also emerge.
Overall, the shifting nature of renewables policy connotes elements of
uncertainty, such as the question of ownership of storage. While it remains
unclear if long-term negative impacts might ensue from DSOs not being
allowed to own storage, these incumbents are nevertheless pushed to
consider their choices when reacting to the changes and have to assess
how to align their interests with the wider policy interests at stake.
Conclusion
Finland has set itself ambitious targets to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the energy system in response to Nordic and
international energy and climate policy processes. Increasing the share of
renewable energy will mean that electrification, decentralisation and variability will be shaping the future energy system and necessitate moving
from a production-centric system to a consumption-centric system. This