TY - JOUR
T1 - Sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations: Reviewing research, market and societal trends
AU - Hasanefendic, Sandra
AU - Hoogstraaten, Marjolein
AU - Bloemendal, Martin
AU - Boon, Wouter
AU - Brezet, Han
AU - Chappin, Maryse M.H.
AU - Coenen, Lars
AU - Dai, Yuxi
AU - Elzinga, Remi
AU - Femenías, Paula
AU - Frishammar, Johan
AU - van der Grijp, Nicolien
AU - van Hal, Anke
AU - von Hauff, Elizabeth
AU - Heller, Renée
AU - Hellsmark, Hans
AU - Hoppe, Thomas
AU - Isabella, Olindo
AU - Janssen, Matthijs
AU - Kaipainen, Jenni
AU - Keviczky, Tamás
AU - Khosravi, Mohammad
AU - Konstantinou, Thaleia
AU - Kwant, Stefan
AU - van der Leer, Janneke
AU - van der Loos, Adriaan
AU - Ma, Zhongxuan
AU - May, Christian
AU - Meelen, Toon
AU - Mlecnik, Erwin
AU - Moore, Trivess
AU - Alberg Mosgaard, Mette
AU - Mousavi, Seyedesmaeil
AU - Negro, Simona O.
AU - Nemet, Gregory
AU - Nigra, Marianna
AU - Reiner, David
AU - van Rijnsoever, Frank
AU - Ryghaug, Marianne
AU - Santbergen, Rudi
AU - Sjøtun, Svein Gunnar
AU - Ridjan Skov, Iva
AU - Skjølsvold, Tomas Moe
AU - Smink , Carla K.
AU - Söderholm, Patrik
AU - Tiekstra, Sybrith
AU - Vardon, Philip J.
AU - de Vries, Gerdien
AU - Wang, Rong
AU - Bossink, Bart
PY - 2025/4
Y1 - 2025/4
N2 - Research into the impact of innovative sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations is crucial to diversifying, scaling up, and accelerating the sustainable energy transition. Although there is vast research into sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations, research literature offers a fragmented collection of findings. A coherent overview of themes and insights regarding the transformative impact of innovative sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations on sustainable energy systems from the past, present, and near future is lacking and necessary to increase experiments and demonstrations' impact on the sustainable energy transition. The research in this study fills this knowledge gap by providing such an overview and yields novel insights into the organized function and impact of experiments and demonstrations. It spans a broad spectrum of sustainable energy technologies, the empirical domains where these are invented, developed and applied, and the stakeholders involved. The overview is the outcome of a Delphi study in which the insights of 47 international scientific research experts in sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations are bundled and explained. This study presents a thematic overview of the significant insights regarding past and current sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations and outlines a research agenda for the future. Policymakers, practitioners, and scientists can leverage this to inform their sustainable energy policies, business strategies, and research programs.
AB - Research into the impact of innovative sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations is crucial to diversifying, scaling up, and accelerating the sustainable energy transition. Although there is vast research into sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations, research literature offers a fragmented collection of findings. A coherent overview of themes and insights regarding the transformative impact of innovative sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations on sustainable energy systems from the past, present, and near future is lacking and necessary to increase experiments and demonstrations' impact on the sustainable energy transition. The research in this study fills this knowledge gap by providing such an overview and yields novel insights into the organized function and impact of experiments and demonstrations. It spans a broad spectrum of sustainable energy technologies, the empirical domains where these are invented, developed and applied, and the stakeholders involved. The overview is the outcome of a Delphi study in which the insights of 47 international scientific research experts in sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations are bundled and explained. This study presents a thematic overview of the significant insights regarding past and current sustainable energy experiments and demonstrations and outlines a research agenda for the future. Policymakers, practitioners, and scientists can leverage this to inform their sustainable energy policies, business strategies, and research programs.
KW - Demonstrations
KW - Demonstration plants
KW - Experiments
KW - Innovation
KW - Pilot plants
KW - Pilot projects
KW - Technology
KW - Transitions
KW - Sustainable energy
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85218601327
U2 - 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104018
DO - 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104018
M3 - Review article
SN - 2214-6296
VL - 122
JO - Energy Research & Social Science
JF - Energy Research & Social Science
M1 - 104018
ER -