Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem offers an innovative approach to equip interdisciplinary research on sociotechnical transitions with coherence and focus. The book emphasizes sociotechnical problems in three analytical dimensions:

- In the control dimension, contributing authors examine how control can be maintained despite increasing complexity and uncertainty, e.g., in power grid operations or on energy markets;

- In the change dimension, the authors explore if and how change is possible despite the need for stable orientation, e.g., regarding discourses, real-world labs and learning;

- Finally, in the action dimension, the authors analyze how the ability to act on a permanent basis is sustained despite opaqueness and ignorance, exemplified by the work on trust, capabilities or individual motives.

Drawing on contributions from engineering, economics, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology, the book assembles a range of classic and current themes including innovation, resilience, institutional economics, design or education. Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem presents the ongoing transformation of the energy complex as a multidimensional process, in which the analytical dimensions interact with each other in shaping the energy future. As such, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy transitions, energy science and environmental social science more generally, as well as to practitioners working within the field of energy policy.

This book presents the ongoing transformation of energy supply as a multi-dimensional process, in which the analytical dimensions interact with each other in shaping the energy future. This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy transitions, energy science and environmental sociology more generally.

1. Introduction 2. Framing Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem of Control, Change, and Action Part I: Sociotechnical Problem of Control 3. Power Systems in Transition: Dealing with Complexity 4. Aligning Institutions and Technologies in Energy Systems 5. Exposure and Vulnerability of the Energy System to Internal and External Effects Part II: Sociotechnical Problem of Change 6. Real World Experiments as Generators of Sociotechnical Change 7. Learning and Disruptive Innovation in Energy Transitions: Who Causes Which Constraints in the German Electricity Transition? 8. Energy System Transformation and Inertia in the UK: A Discourse-Institutional Perspective Part III: Sociotechnical Problem of Action 9. The Energy System and Trust: Public, Organizational, and Transsystemic Perspectives 10. Shaping Our Energy Future: The Irreducible Entanglement of the Ethical, Social, and Technical Realms 11. Technology and Motives: The Challenge of Energy Consumption Behavior Addendum: Observing Sociotechnical Problems 12. Observing Amplified Sociotechnical Complexity: Challenges for Technology Assessment Regarding Energy Transitions 13. Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem: A Concluding Discussion