INSTITUTE FOR TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT AND SYSTEMS ANALYSIS

ENERGY as Socio-technical ProblemInfrastructures as Interdisciplinary Research Topic

Christian Buscher | 14.03.2016

KIT – The Research University in the Helmholtz Association

www.kit.edu

Integration of research

Purpose PROVIDING SERVICE: ENERGYsustainment of operations

Label SOCIO-TECHNICAL SYSTEMS

Norms/ RELIABLE SAFE AFFORDABLE SUSTAINABLEValues maintain avoid negative consider future

operation consequences full inclusion generations

Defini- SYSTEM/ ENVIRONMENTtions Heterogeneous technical and social elements

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |2/12

Integration of research

Purpose PROVIDING SERVICE: ENERGYsustainment of operations

Label SOCIO-TECHNICAL SYSTEMS

Norms/ RELIABLE SAFE AFFORDABLE SUSTAINABLEValues maintain avoid negative consider future

operation consequences full inclusion generations

Defini- SYSTEM/ ENVIRONMENTtions Heterogeneous technical and social elements

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |2/12

Integration of research

Purpose PROVIDING SERVICE: ENERGYsustainment of operations

Label SOCIO-TECHNICAL SYSTEMS

Norms/ RELIABLE SAFE AFFORDABLE SUSTAINABLEValues maintain avoid negative consider future

operation consequences full inclusion generations

Defini- SYSTEM/ ENVIRONMENTtions Heterogeneous technical and social elements

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |2/12

Integration of research

Purpose PROVIDING SERVICE: ENERGYsustainment of operations

Label SOCIO-TECHNICAL SYSTEMS

Norms/ RELIABLE SAFE AFFORDABLE SUSTAINABLEValues maintain avoid negative consider future

operation consequences full inclusion generations

Defini- SYSTEM/ ENVIRONMENTtions Heterogeneous technical and social elements

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |2/12

Socio-technical Problems

’’The overall

system can be

fruitfully

described as

posing a linked

series of

sociotechnical

problems.’’

(Paul Edwards)

stability change

structure control complexity

institution redundancy variety

operation actionability non-transparency

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |3/12

Socio-technical Problems

’’The overall

system can be

fruitfully

described as

posing a linked

series of

sociotechnical

problems.’’

(Paul Edwards)

stability change

structure control complexity

institution redundancy variety

operation actionability non-transparency

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |3/12

Dimensions of the energycomplex

EnergyInstitution

Operation

Stru

ctur

e

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |4/12

1. Dimension

Energy

Institution

Operation

Stru

ctur

e

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |5/12

Complexity/ Control

Heuristic for “Large Technical Systems”(Source: derived from Hughes, Mayntz, etc.)

System Environment

Technical (1) Determination (3) Operational

Processes of Production Couplings to ext.

infrastructures

Social (2) Organization (4) Regulation/Processes of Production Governance

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |6/12

2. Dimension

Energy

Institution

Operation

Stru

ctur

e

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |7/12

Redundancy/ Variety

Redundancyhigh low

A. B.

learning experimental

high organization; settings; emergingregime/ niche- technology

constellation fieldsVarietyC. D.

dominant regimes low degree of

low path dependency organization

lock-ins

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |8/12

3. Dimension

Energy

Institution

Operation

Stru

ctur

e

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Actionability/ Non-transparency

Socio-technical TimeActions and operations within the power grid, with a time-scale variance from microseconds to yearsAction or Operation Timeframe

Wave effects (fast dynamics, such as lightning causing surges or overvoltages) Microseconds to millisecondsSwitching overvoltages MillisecondsFault protection 100 milliseconds or a few cyclesElectromagnetic effects in machine windings Milliseconds to secondsTie-line load frequency control 1 to 10 seconds; ongoingEconomic load dispatch 10 seconds to 1 hour; ongoingSystem structure monitoring Steady state; on-goingSystem state measurement and estimation Steady state; on-goingSystem security monitoring Steady state; on-goingLoad management, load forecasting, and generation scheduling 1 hour to 1 day or more, ongoingMaintenance scheduling Months to 1 year, ongoingExpansion planning Years, ongoingPower plant site selection, design, construction, environmental impact, etc. 10 years or longer

Source: Amin, Massoud S., 2001: Toward self-healing energy infrastructure systems, in:IEEE Computer Applications in Power 14, 20-28; p. 23.

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |10/12

Technical and Social Operation

Orthogonal Relation

– ‘simple’ interface: signs and symbols

– ‘complicated’ complex: physical and socialstructures, institutions

Regulation∵ |

social |Organization∴ ·

Controltechnical Production

Christian Buscher – ENERGY as Socio-technical Problem 14.03.2016 |11/12

Outlook

EnergyComplex

Structure

TechnicalOperation:Resilience

SocialOrganisation:

CriticalTransactions

ExogenousThreats:Hazard

Research

Institution

StrategicAction:

InnovationReseach

“Real-World”-

Experiments

Discourseof Change

Operation

Trust andConfidencein Systems

Capabilityin Complex

Systems

???

Abbildung: Structure of the book: Multiple dimensions of socio-technicalproblems in the energy complex

sustainment/ sustainabilityresilience/ vulnerabilityresponsibility/ accountabilityconvergence of infrastructures

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