The multi-spatial dynamics of niche trajectory: the case of the wave energy technological niche

Abstract

This paper investigates the role played by processes taking place at different spatial levels in the construction and development of technological niches. It is proposed that niches, as protective spaces where technologies are developed and articulated with societal needs, may transcend territorial boundaries, encompassing communities and actions that span several spatial levels, without losing some local embeddedness. The paper draws on the multi-level perspective and on recent additions to the strategic niche management framework, to support an exploratory case study of the highly internationalised wave energy niche. The objective is to investigate the implications, for the conduction of niche internal processes and for niche regime interactions, of the increased complexity introduced by this multi-spatial dynamics. The case study addresses the formation, development and (transitory?) decline of the wave niche in Portugal, that was among the pioneers in the field and whose core actors have consistently been engaged in activities conducted at transnational and supra-national levels. The analysis confirms that niche development is shaped as much by local/national processes as by processes taking place at a diversity of spatial levels, which are strongly intertwined. But it also shows that niche development at country level - and its contribution to the overall niche trajectory – depends on the quality of interactions and the way these contribute to strengthen local/national processes; as well as on the particular configurations of the energy regime and the on-going transitions processes. These results, although still exploratory, contribute to the debate on the role of space in sustainability transitions.