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In this blog, Dr. Benjamin Best (Senior Researcher, Wuppertal Institut für Klima) and Carina Zell-Ziegler (Researcher, Oeko-Institut) discuss the potential impact of their energy sufficiency policy database — the first of its kind in Europe. 

Energy sufficiency measures can be pivotal for the decarbonization of energy systems. Yet, they are often overlooked in energy and policy and modelling. In our Brief Report on F1000Research, we consider how we can achieve a high quality of life while radically reducing energy and resource use. In doing so, we present the first energy sufficiency policy database — an extensive literature review of European and national sufficiency policies. 

Energy sufficiency vs. energy efficiency

Energy sufficiency and energy efficiency are both methods to reduce emissions associated with energy use, but there can be confusion between the two terms.  

Energy efficiency means using less energy to complete the same task. Meanwhile, energy sufficiency is a strategy where everyone has affordable access to the energy they need within the environmental limits of the planet. 

Both terms aim for energy savings. Specifically, efficiency aims at relative savings, such as less energy consumption per kilometer compared to an earlier time period. Sufficiency aims at absolute savings, like reducing the number of cars per year. We can then talk about two types of energy sufficiency: reduction and the substitution of energy-intensive activities with low-energy alternatives. 

The need for an Energy Sufficiency Policy Database

Sufficiency is a key strategy for the decarbonization of energy systems. At the same time, lifestyle changes that could reduce energy use will not be adopted at speed if not demanded by policies.  

Sufficiency is a field for policy action just like renewable energies and efficiency. Yet, it has not equally found entry into decarbonization strategies.  

Our goal is to offer relevant stakeholders actionable knowledge and recommendations on sufficiency through an Energy Sufficiency Policy Database. As of today, we are not aware of a similar and publicly available database with a broad scope like ours.  

Content and applications  

The policy database consists of about 250 entries with descriptions in categories including: 

• Goal/policy strategy 
• Measure/action 
• Instrument type 
• Sufficiency type 
• Policy description 
• Time horizon impact/implementation  

 This database can be used for a wide range of purposes, including serving as a basis for policy recommendations and as a medium of collaboration between energy researchers.  

Strengths and limitations  

Due to the current geopolitical situation, many new studies with policy proposals for energy sufficiency are released. A strength of our project is that it is a living database. This means we can constantly improve and extend it to include more policies and more details per policy.  

We extracted sufficiency policies from many sources, such as scientific articles, policy papers, decarbonization scenarios, and research studies with policy proposals. A limitation of our database is that it includes mostly European and German policies. 

Potential impact and next steps of the research  

Our goal is to develop nuanced sufficiency policy recommendations and instrument mixes for Germany and other countries. In addition, we want to provide crucial knowledge for social scientists and energy researchers.   

The database could also serve as a starting point for a more sophisticated modelling of sufficiency policy instruments within our scenario process as well as those of other research teams.   

We are constantly working on developing the database even further. We will be publishing new versions on F1000Research every time we make big changes and include more information.  

Moreover, to encourage interaction with the wider community, we want to improve the interface of the database. Hopefully, such improvements will enable anyone to easily propose new policies to add to the database.  

We believe that publicly funded research should be made publicly available and we want people everywhere to have access to our database. The open publishing model of F1000Research makes the Platform an ideal home for our research. 

Read the full Brief Report today on F1000Research or explore our Energy System Modelling Collection for further insights into the global energy transition, smart energy systems, and the interaction between research and policy.