Closing the loop: using hero stories and learning stories to remake energy policy

摘要

Hero stories are a popular way of describing how great a new technologyor strategy is. Whether it is a silver bullet (one technology)or a silver buckshot (a combination of things), energy-efficienttechnologies and strategies often promise “triple bottom line” benefitsto our economy, society, and environment. The UK governmenthas developed a hero story to guide its future by proclaimingthat all new homes in the country will be zero carbon by 2016. Thishero story, where we are saved by clever technologies, is inspiring,positive, and familiar. In this story, we don’t need to do anythingbecause the technology will do it for us. But how real is it? Thecounterpart to the hero story is the learning story1, where thingsare not quite as simple as they first seemed. In a learning story,protagonists are normal people who need to rise to a challenge.They are not saved by Superman, they have to save themselves.The learning story in energy policy lies in the between the technicalpotential and what is achieved in practice. The learning storyis what commissioning tells us, and what post occupancy evaluationreveals. The learning story can be difficult and contentious.It is less soothing than the hero story, as it asks for participation,reflection, and does not provide a single truth. This paper usesreal world examples from retrofit and new build projects to showhow implicit narratives can create conflict when the tellers (e.g.,researchers) have to tell one kind of story but have data for the other. By recognizing that both kinds of stories are important, thepaper provides recommendations for policymakers, researchers,implementers, and users to resolve conflicts and tensions betweendifferent kinds of tales. It also argues for the continued importanceof the learning story in energy policy.