The Energy Transition Game: Experiences and Ways Forward

Abstract

We discuss our experiences with the energy transition game (ETG) in Groningen, Tokyo, and Osnabrück, all in educational settings. The ETG is an agent-based game in which roles that can be played are energy companies and political parties. A unique aspect is the inclusion of an artificial population of simulated people. In the ETG the simulated consumers choose an energy provider based on price, safety, and greenness, and they vote for a political party in the government. In this paper, we share the experiences we had with playing ETG with first-year bachelor students at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands), with young professionals from the energy sector at the University of Tsukuba (Japan), and in a mixed seminar for master and bachelor students with diverse interdisciplinary backgrounds at the University of Osnabrück (Germany). The experiences we share with the game suggest that the ETG can be used and developed in different directions: a short introduction of the complexities of the energy transition, courses or projects in which students become codevelopers and try to improve the ETG, or as basis for further extensions and testing of specific hypotheses. We consider a common platform for different versions a sensible next step, including a version control, description of different implementations, and game dynamics.