About POLET

POLET stood for the ‘Perspectives on technOLogical change and Energy Transitions’. We aimed to understand which changes in energy systems can happen fast enough – and where – to reduce the risks of dangerous climate change. To answer this question we connected knowledge on past technological change with insights on future energy transitions required to save the climate. We viewed the past as a guide to where change is most feasible and identify sectors and contexts where policy can make the biggest difference.

Disciplinarily, we aimed to facilitate dialogue between energy system modelers, who study changes in energy markets and flows; socio-technical scholars, who study changes in energy technologies and practices; and political scientists who study changes in political actions and policies. Inspired by Elinor Ostrom and the Bloomington school, we believed that change and continuity in energy systems could only be understood by bridging different disciplinary perspectives.

Institutionally, our homes were Central European University in Austria, Chalmers University of Technology and Lund University in Sweden and the University of Bergen in Norway.

POLET was established in 2015 and active until 2025.