The Climate and Energy Nexus

Duration

30h Th

Number of credits

Lecturer

Laure-Anne Plumhans

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Block I: Introduction and problematisation

This block introduces the climate-energy nexus. We begin by exploring how current energy systems contribute to and are affected by climate change. The block also introduces the main mitigation options: renewable energy development and energy consumption reduction. We then take a step back to question what we mean by "energy" itself: where our understanding of energy comes from, and how energy systems have been shaped by industrialisation and economic development. We then review the key terminology and metrics used to talk and represent energy (transitions). Finally, we will end the block with a discussion on how to make sense of conflicting narratives on the energy transition.

Block II: Policies, markets and alternatives

This block explores how energy systems are organised, the policies that drive decarbonisation, and the impacts and contestation they generate. We begin by examining the actors, institutions and market structures that shape energy systems, before turning to policies that promote renewable energy and discourage fossil-fuel use. We then critically assess the costs and impacts of the energy transition, asking who bears them and whether they are inherent to the transition itself or to the particular model being pursued. Finally, we explore alternative visions for future energy systems, including different approaches to centralisation, ownership and community participation, and consider their respective potential and limitations.

Block III: Engaging with the energy transition

In this block, we bring theory into practice. We will exchange with practitioners working on the climate-energy nexus to explore how the concepts and debates discussed throughout the course are reflected in their work. The block will also provide students with an opportunity to present and discuss their own work and receive feedback as they prepare their final projects.

 

 

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Block I:

• Explain the relationship between energy systems, climate change and our economic system;
• Outline the main decarbonization strategies;
• Differentiate between energy sufficiency and efficiency;
• Discuss how our understanding and use of energy has evolved in relation to industrialisation and economic development;
• Make appropriate use of key concepts, terminology and metrics used to describe energy systems and transitions;
• Critically assess different ways of framing the energy-climate nexus and the energy transition;
• Evaluate conflicting narratives and claims about energy transitions and the evidence underpinning them.

• Explain how energy systems are organised and how energy markets function;
• Explain which policies and market mechanisms shape the energy transition;
• Discuss the social and environmental costs and distributional impacts of different transition pathways;
• Compare alternative visions for organising future energy systems, including centralised, decentralised and community-based approaches.

• Connect concepts and debates discussed in the course to real-world energy and climate practice;
• Engage critically with different perspectives and approaches to the energy transition;
• Apply concepts from the course to analyse a concrete energy-climate issue;
• Communicate their analysis clearly and effectively to an informed audience;
• Reflect on and integrate feedback into their final project.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Students are expected to have the ability to read and understand graphical information, as well as basic academic reading and referencing skills. If you are unsure about your preparation in these areas, please feel free to reach out to me.

For referencing and citing, I recommend checking the following resources:

https://www.tudelft.nl/tulib/writing-publishing/how-to-cite

https://www.uhasselt.be/en/university-library/finding-and-using-scholarly-information/citing-scholarly-sources

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course combines lectures, guided discussions, and student presentations. Lectures will introduce key concepts, theories, and empirical examples. Seminars and class discussions will provide opportunities for students to critically engage with course materials.

The final part of the course will be dedicated to the development and presentation of students' projects, allowing students to apply course concepts and analytical frameworks to a real-world energy transition initiative.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Further information:

Session 1

Mandatory:

Gonçalves, A.C.R., Costoya, X., Nieto, R. et al. Extreme weather events on energy systems: a comprehensive review on impacts, mitigation, and adaptation measures. Sustainable Energy res. 11, 4 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40807-023-00097-6

Only Chapter 6.5: Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (Ipcc), ed. 2023. 'Energy Systems'. In Climate Change 2022 - Mitigation of Climate Change, 1st edn. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157926.008.

LaBelle, M.C. (2023) Energy as a weapon of war: Lessons from 50 years of energy interdependence. Global Policy, 14, 531-547. Available from: **https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13235**

Kimberley Vandenhole and Erik Paredis. 2023. 'GIES OCCASIONAL PAPER-The Global Energy Crisis'. From the Energy Crisis to (Re)Imagining the Energy Transition. https://www.ugent.be/ps/politiekewetenschappen/gies/en/research/publications/gies_papers/2023-global-energy-crisis/pdf-files/11-from-the-energy-crisis-to-reimagining-the-energy-transition-kv-and-ep.pdf.

Only section 5 of Berahab Sabrine Emran. 2026. Stress Test: The Hormuz Crisis and the Fracturing of the Global Energy Order. Policy Center for the New South. https://www.policycenter.ma/sites/default/files/2026-06/PB_29-26 (Sabrine Emran %26 Rim Berahab).pdf.

Optional:

'What Are the Impacts of Energy Crises and How Can They Be Avoided?' n.d. Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. Accessed 21 August 2026. https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-are-the-impacts-of-energy-crises-and-how-can-they-be-avoided/.

Communication from the commission to the european parliament, the council, the european economic and social committee and the committee of the regions. AccelerateEU - Energy Union Affordable and Secure Energy through Accelerated Action (2026). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52026DC0370&qid=1785844804331.

Session 2

Mandatory:

Millward-Hopkins, Joel, and Yannick Oswald. 2023. 'Global Inequality Must Fall to Maintain a Safe Climate and Achieve a Decent Standard of Living for All - It's a Huge Challenge'. The Conversation, February 14. https://doi.org/10.64628/AB.c9644jdan.

Oswald, Yannick, Anne Owen, and Julia K. Steinberger. 2020. 'Large Inequality in International and Intranational Energy Footprints between Income Groups and across Consumption Categories'. Nature Energy 5 (3): 231-39. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0579-8.

Azubuike, Smith I., Engobo Emeseh, and David Yibakuo Amakiri. 2024. 'Climate Change, Energy Transition, and the Global South: Learnings from the International Framework on the Ozone Layer'. Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law 42 (3): 255-77. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646811.2024.2345012.

Optional:

Wang, Yang, Yuru Guan, Yuli Shan, et al. 2025. 'Global Energy Inequality across Energy Types, Expenditure Groups, and Consumption Items'. Nexus 2 (3): 100086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynexs.2025.100086.

IEA (2025), World Energy Outlook 2025, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2025, Licence: CC BY 4.0

Session 3

Mandatory:

Christophers, Brett. 2025. The Price Is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won't Save the Planet. Verso Books.(p.1-34 "Electric Dreams)

Trincado Aznar, Estrella, and José María Vindel. 2023. 'Energy Efficiency, Productivity and the Jevons Paradox'. In Science, Technology and Innovation in the History of Economic Thought, edited by Estrella Trincado Aznar and Fernando López Castellano. Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40139-8_6.

Ritchie, Hannah. 2021. 'A Number of Countries Have Decoupled Economic Growth from Energy Use, Even If We Take Offshored Production into Account'. Our World in Data, November 30. https://ourworldindata.org/energy-gdp-decoupling.

Listen to this podcast episode: LaBelle, Michael. 2022. 'The Massive Challenge of Hydrogen - Florian Kern, Ep. 63'. My Energy 2050 https://myenergy2050.com/the-massive-challenge-of-hydrogen-florian-kern-ep-63/.

Optional:

IRENA (2024), Decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors with renewables: Perspectives for the G7, International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi.https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2024/Apr/IRENA_G7_Decarbonising_hard_to_abate_sectors_2024.pdf

Which Emissions Are Really Hard-to-Abate? A Call for Clarity in the Net-Zero Energy Transition - Energy Blog @ ETH Zurich. 2025. Opinion Pieces. December 1. https://energyblog.ethz.ch/which-emissions-are-really-hard-to-abate/.

Session 4

Mandatory:

Watch: 'No More Fossils' | Dominic Boyer | Book Discussion

Malm, Andreas. 2012. 'Steam: Nineteenth-Century Mechanization and the Power of Capital'. In Ecology and Power. Routledge.

Optional:

Szeman, I., and Caleb Wellum. 2022. 'Carbon Democracy at Ten: An Interview with Timothy Mitchell'. Cultural Studies 37 (March): 1-19. (Read only pp. 4-7) https://doi.org/10.1080/09502386.2022.2056221.

Watch minutes 14:50-34:50: Architecture of Territory, Prof. Milica Topalovic. 2023. Cara Daggett - THE BIRTH OF ENERGY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t6IoG15dx4.

Session 5

Check:

Eurostat, Material flows account. 'Energy Flow Diagrams'. Eurostat. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/sankey/energy/sankey.html.

IEA. 'Energy Statistics Data Browser - Data Tools'. https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser.

Read :

IEA. 'Energy Sankey - Data Tools'. https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-sankey.

Lim, Yeonji. 2026. 'Why the Clean Energy Transition Needs Information Integrity'. E3G, August 25. https://www.e3g.org/news/why-the-clean-energy-transition-needs-information-integrity/.

Skim: SPF Economie. 2026. Belgian Energy Data Overview. https://economie.fgov.be/sites/default/files/Files/Publications/files/Belgian-Energy-Data-Overview-Juin-2026.pdf.

Session 6

Mandatory:

Only pp.36-68 "The Business of Power": Christophers, Brett. 2025. The Price Is Wrong: Why Capitalism Won't Save the Planet. Verso Books.

Market Basics- Sustainable Energy - TU Delft Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dmuuzP4cDw

What is the Merit Order Effect? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_OKDgHLP78

Only pp.7-11: European Commission. Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs. 2023. The Development of Renewable Energy in the Electricity Market. Publications Office. https://doi.org/10.2765/411281.

Session 7

Mandatory:

Read chapters 3 &4 (pp.20-27): European Commission. Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs. 2023. The Development of Renewable Energy in the Electricity Market. Publications Office. https://doi.org/10.2765/411281.

tbd

Optional:

'Status Review of Renewable Support Schemes in Europe for 2022 and 2023'. CEER. https://www.ceer.eu/publication/status-review-of-renewable-support-schemes-in-europe-for-2022-and-2023/.

'Don't Mess with the ETS'. 2026. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/dont-mess-with-the-ets/.

Woodhouse, Andrew. 2025. 'The De-Politicisation of Decarbonisation through Climate Rent: A Marxist Critique of the EU Emissions Trading System'. European Law Open 4 (2): 369-86. https://doi.org/10.1017/elo.2024.41.

Session 8

Mandatory:

Batel, Susana, Patrick Devine-Wright, and Torvald Tangeland. 2013. 'Social Acceptance of Low Carbon Energy and Associated Infrastructures: A Critical Discussion'. Energy Policy 58 (July): 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.03.018.

Müller, Franziska. 2024. 'Energy Colonialism'. Journal of Political Ecology 31 (1). https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.5659.

Read only the introduction: Sareen, Siddharth, Shayan Shokrgozar, James McCarthy, and Steven Wolf. 2025. 'The Dawn of Solar Photovoltaics: Emergent Political Economies at the Solar-Agri-Land Nexus'. Sustainability Science 20 (4): 1271-76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01721-8.

Optional:

Alsheimer, Sven, Tamara Schnell, Camilla Chlebna, and Sebastian Rohe. 2025. 'Competing Terms for Complementary Concepts? Acceptance and Legitimacy'. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 207 (January): 114960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114960.

Avila-Calero, Sofia. 2025. 'Solar Capitalism: Accumulation Strategies and Socio-Ecological Futures'. Sustainability Science 20 (4): 1541-56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-025-01662-2.

Session 9

Mandatory:

Burke, Matthew J., and Jennie C. Stephens. 2018. 'Political Power and Renewable Energy Futures: A Critical Review'. Energy Research & Social Science, Energy and the Future, vol. 35: 78-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.10.018.

Bauwens, Thomas, Daan Schraven, Emily Drewing, et al. 2022. 'Conceptualizing Community in Energy Systems: A Systematic Review of 183 Definitions'. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 156 (111999): 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111999.

Optional:

Huber, Matthew T. 2025. 'Unbundling the Grid: Renewable Capital and the Demise of Electricity as a "Public Utility" in the United States'. Development and Change 56 (4-5): 982-1006. https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.70008. (maybe switch to mandatory or to 'alternatives') (discusses centralization/decentralization and governance)

Bauwens, Thomas, and Robert Wade. 2025. 'Unpacking the Energy Commons'. SSRN Scholarly Paper No. 5128645. Social Science Research Network, January 1. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5128645.

Written work / report

Continuous assessment


Further information:

Final project (65%): Critical analysis of energy-climate instruments

The final project consists of a report analysing a public policy instrument, market solution or initiative in relation to the climate-energy nexus. Students will analyse the chosen initiative based on selected concepts covered in the course. In practice, you are asked to:

Choose an energy-climate problem and an instrument which intends to address it. Choose one or more analytical angles through which you will examine the instrument. Analytical angles draw from concepts and perspectives reviewed during the class you wish to apply to a concrete situation. It is the basis on which you will base your analysis.

Evaluation criteria

• Use of appropriate terminology (10%)
  Demonstrates an accurate and consistent use of the concepts and terminology introduced throughout the course.
• Use of relevant and diverse resources (10%)
  Draws on a range of relevant and credible sources (e.g. academic literature, policy reports, official documents, and course materials). Sources are appropriately integrated into the analysis and correctly referenced.
• Application of course concepts (20%)
  Effectively applies relevant (not exhaustive) theories, frameworks, and analytical tools discussed during the course to the selected topic or case study. Demonstrates an understanding of how these concepts can be used to interpret and critically analyse real-world issues.
• Quality of the argumentation (40%)
  Develops a clear and evidence-based argument. The project goes beyond description by critically engaging with the topic, considering different perspectives where appropriate.
• Structure and coherence (20%)
  The project is well organized and easy to follow. It includes a clear introduction, a logical progression of ideas, and a coherent conclusion. Arguments are presented in a structured manner with smooth transitions between sections.

• Presentation of the policy problem and of the instrument
• Discussion on the chosen analytical angle: what will your policy analysis focus on?
• Justification: why this instrument, why this angle(s)?

Work placement(s)

Please note that assignments should be posted the day before the class by 8PM.

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Contacts

Laure-Anne Plumhans

Email: laure.anne.plumhans@gmail.com

Association of one or more MOOCs