Energy transition or energy diversification? Assessing the complexity of energy ecosystem towards transiting a...

The recent shift in the global energy paradigm and the expansion of renewable energy, spurred by the global COVID-19 epidemic and as a consequence of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, require assessing the complexity of the energy ecosystem to transition to a low-carbon economy. While the most of the literature is centered on analyzing the energy sector and the transformation determined by the energy transition to renewables or investigating the need for energy diversification, there has been less attention focused to assessing the complexity of energy ecosystems toward transiting a climate neutral society, despite determinant potential of policy implications. The main aim of this study is to analyze the complexity behavior and the resilience of the Romanian energy system in the period 2015 to 2020 and to compare the complexity situations in 2015, 2016 and 2020. The study is based on the quantitative complexity management approach developed by Ontonix™ (2022) and it is carried out using the OntoSpace™ software. The results indicate higher complexity of the Romanian energy ecosystem since 2016, which highlights a higher difficulty of governing it.