Case overview
How can educators ingrain a multi-perspective understanding of long-term decision-making in sustainability? How can we teach the complexities of energy transition and grid management issues in a way that is accessible across disciplines, even for non-technical backgrounds?
Stuck in Gridlock addresses these questions through a scenario inspired by true events. In early 2024, Dutch grid operator Stedin announced that public charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) must be switched off between 16:00 and 21:00 due to grid congestion. This overexertion triggers an emergency meeting by the Rotterdam municipality in the form of a role-playing exercise, where students portray six key stakeholders, tasked to negotiate and seek consensus on four decision variables: charging stations, grid upgrades, flexibility options, and grid operator direct control.
“Stuck in Gridlock shows that even if you are not technically oriented, you can still make a meaningful impact” – Malou Kroezen, Managing Director, Erasmus Centre for Energy Transition.
Classroom engagement
While this case is designed for pre- and post-experience master-level courses and executive education, it can also be adapted for bachelor-level courses, after some structured preparation. The accompanying teaching note guides educators on how to use the case and facilitate the role-playing exercise to help enrich the classroom experience.
According to Malou Kroezen, managing director of the Erasmus Centre for Energy Transition (ECET), whose support has made the Stuck in Gridlock case possible, “All participants can experience first-hand just how challenging the energy transition really is. Not only from a technical perspective, but also from a leadership and decision-making point of view”.
The case has already been tested across four executive- and master-level courses. Dr Ghiassi-Farrokhfal has taught Stuck in Gridlock in two of his courses. He was delighted to observe hearty debates while the students’ deep research empowered them to fully embody their stakeholder roles and experience multi-sector tensions that impede efficient and effective decision-making. It made for an eye-opening practical exercise. Dr Ghiassi-Farrokhfal: “While the lecture contents focus on, for example, the foundations and technological advancements, cases can focus on the practical socio-technical and socio-economical perspectives”.
For those who are interested in using this case in their course, it can be found here.
Behind the energy transition case series
The CDC and ECET noticed a fundamental gap in education and professional training: there is a growing demand for cases that address energy transition-related topics, yet the availability of such materials is limited. This triggered extensive research and case development, which culminated in the Energy Transition Case series, a collection of multidisciplinary cases that explore critical learning areas within energy transition, as well as the typical, yet complex challenges encountered by public and private institutions in creating a carbon-neutral, digitalised future. The cases in this series are designed to expose students to energy transition-related topics and to equip them with the skills to tackle this issue.
“The transition is no longer merely a technical challenge. It also requires financial, economic, digital and regulatory perspectives, as well as systems thinking, leadership and stakeholder management skills, to name just a few,” notes Kroezen.
The Stuck in Gridlock case is the first of several upcoming cases in this series. Future topics include diversity and inclusion challenges, the role of citizen-led initiatives, and the challenges of implementing a decarbonisation policy. Further information about this can be accessed on the Energy Transition Case Series web page.