Mansi Jain
University of Twente, Netherland
Title: Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) niche development from governance perspective
Biography
Biography: Mansi Jain
Abstract
As global warming and fossil fuel depletion highlight the need to save energy and reduce our carbon footprint, the net zero-energy building (NZEB) concept is gaining prominence worldwide. NZEB is still at a nascent stage of niche formation in a developing economy such as India. Large scale adoption and implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies can transform the building sector towards a low carbon future. The paper aims to assess the role of governments in adoption and uptake of NZEBs by addressing the research question: What is the role of governments in spurring NZEB niche development in India from governance perspective? The study uses the Governance Assessment Tool (GAT) along with the Sectoral System Innovation Assessment Framework (SSAIf) to analyse NZEB niche development in the New Delhi region in India. A case study research design is used to assess governance conditions regarding NZEB niche development. Data collection involved indepth interviews with ten key stakeholders and were analyzed using qualitative analysis software program of Atlas ti. The results show that governments can initiate changes in structure, user practices, culture, regulations and networks by influencing particular governance conditions such as: i)strategies and instruments used by governments, and ii) actor network formation, in particular engaging relevant stakeholders in policy making process and NZEB projects.