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A key challenge to achieving a net-zero transition by mid-century is rapid diffusion of several low-carbon technologies which requires massive upscaling of production capacity including vast use of material resources. However, both diffusion theory and main transition studies frameworks pay insufficient attention to the role of material resources. To better understand the relationships between diffusion, production, and material use in technology diffusion and transitions, we conceptually elaborate the role of material resources in the value chain perspective on Technological Innovation Systems (TIS). We account for how material scarcity appears and how it influences TIS structural and functional dynamics with particular attention to how actors along the value chain respond. Our study of China's Electric Vehicle lithium-ion battery TIS value chain shows that a shortage of critical materials occurred due to structural tensions between sectoral regimes along the value chain which influenced the TIS structural and functional dynamics both within and across sectors. The study contributes new insights on the role of materials in TIS and circular value chains, on how the TIS growth and diffusion phase unfolds, and on how urgency of a net-zero transition and geopolitics influence diffusion.

While nexus research in sustainability science has investigated the consequences of connected systems, it has paid less attention to the processes of building nexuses which is becoming increasingly important in low-carbon transitions because these often require the creation of new connections between multiple consumption-production systems. Building on multi-system research in the sustainability transitions literature, this paper introduces a conceptual system interface perspective on nexus-building which considers four dimensions (technology, actors, institutions, and resources) that are useful for analyzing nexus-building dynamics. We apply our framework to the case of electrification of ferries in Norway which requires the building of a new interface between the electricity system and the maritime transport system. The case study shows that the system interface was initially characterized by conflicts and tensions in all dimensions, which actors then attempted to resolve through cross-system intermediation and adjustment activities. These activities were asymmetrical because of differences in external pressures, urgency, unequal power relationships, and different degrees of interest in cross-system nexus building. Because important tensions remained unresolved, ferry actors started implementing sub-optimal workaround solutions in the diffusion phase.

Electrification of end-use sectors is widely seen as a central decarbonisation strategy. However, the process of electrification is rarely discussed beyond electric end-use technologies such as electric vehicles or heat pumps. While electrification of end-use sectors is about new types of consumption, it also requires new technological interfaces with the electricity system. The paper provides a first conceptualisation of electrification as a multi-system interaction process, involving changes in both end-use sectors and in the electricity system. Electrification is thought to involve two core processes: (1) transitions in systems where electric niches challenge fossil energy regimes, and (2) reconfiguring patterns of multi-system interactions across production, distribution, and use of electricity. Through a case study design, we compare three sectoral cases that differ substantially in degrees and speed of electrification: ferries, construction sites and ammonia production. We explain these differences by analysing how the actors, technologies and institutions in each system shaped both the diffusion of electric end-use technologies and the interactions with the electricity distribution system. We find that the speed and ease of electrification depend on varying mixes of technological, actor, and institutional change processes. The severity and pervasiveness of grid connection challenges are arguably the most important finding. Grid connection challenges were significant in all three cases and continue to hamper electrification in two cases. Based on those findings, we conclude that grid capacity is increasingly problematic. Electricity system actors are overwhelmed with new demand, resulting in long lead times. And, they are further constrained by institutions that were designed to optimise for the efficient operation of existing assets rather than to innovate and transform electricity grids.

CO2 capture and storage (CCS) is today seen as a key technology to cut carbon emissions in many of the hard-to-abate sectors such as energy-intensive process industries and the waste-to-energy sector. Although CO2 capture is technically possible, key challenges for realizing CCS persist. Over the past decade, CCS has entered a new phase with more focus on application in energy-intensive industries rather than the energy sector. For CCS value chains to materialize, innovation and implementation thus needs to occur amongst an array of actors, with different innovation modes, institutions, and policy regimes, and with varying sectoral capacities for adaptation and change. There has so far been limited social science research on CCS innovation dynamics, which we suggest approaching as a socio-technical change process. To better understand this process we draw on the sustainability transitions research field and employ the technological innovation system (TIS) framework to study the CCS innovation system in Norway. We find that, overall, the Norwegian CCS TIS displays systemic weaknesses for example in the form of market formation and resource mobilization, yet recent developments suggest a relatively positive momentum for this technological field which is key to meeting global climate mitigation targets.

The aim of this article is to complement research on transformations towards sustainability by drawing upon the innovation systems (IS) framework. The IS framework already serves as a suitable and influential basis for research on processes of technological innovation and economic change. We argue that improving the capacity of an IS framework for dealing with wicked problems and the normative complexity of sustainability requires a fundamental paradigm shift because in the current IS paradigm innovations are considered as per se desirable and in mostly technological terms. Therefore, we call for IS dedicated to transformations towards sustainability by opening up for systemic innovations beyond the technological dimension and by acknowledging that stakeholders have conflicting visions, interests, norms, and expectations with regard to sustainability goals. Taking the normative dimension of transformations towards sustainability seriously thus requires more explicit and integrative research on directionality, legitimacy, responsibility, and their interrelation in IS. The article concludes by proposing suggestions for future research based on IS-related approaches that can serve as building blocks for an IS framework capable of incorporating legitimate goal-orientation for transformative innovation by and for society.