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Paper short abstract

Sector coupling is considered a crucial component for building resilient energy systems. Our analysis examines the hidden work that enables systems to couple at organizational boundaries as well as the emerging questions in terms of knowledge, power relations and ethical doings.

Paper long abstract

Energy transition is on the top of the political and research agenda to meet the climate objectives and today it has become a crucial geopolitical factor to secure energy capacity in an unstable world. Electrification based on renewable energies is at the core of the transformations towards a fossil free society. In this framework the integration and interoperability of adaptable systems – for instance energy-transports or energy-logistics - are considered a key factor for resilient electrified systems. However, the flexibility and capacity of systems to be integrated cannot be taken for granted. This raises critical questions related to knowledge creation at organizational boundaries, cross-sectorial collaborations and working practices, working through different organizational cultures, reconfiguring power relations and ethical doings. These dimensions are still underexplored (Silvast et al., 2021), while priority is still given to the “technical feasibility” of system integration.

Building on STS literature and practice-based theorizing, we explore sector coupling as sociomaterial knowledge and practices emerge from within a project aiming at building resilient energy systems. The project gathers scientists – from engineering as well as from the social sciences – and different public (municipalities) and private organizations (mainly in the area of logistics, public transportations, energy providers). We focus on the hidden work at organizational boundaries required systems to couple, but also on the extent to which this understanding of resilience casts a shadow over other critical questions and practices involved in energy transformations.