Feedback loops shape the pace and direction of the clean energy transition by accelerating or resisting change. Researchers and practitioners can draw on these feedback loops as practical heuristics to understand and manage the transition.
Feedback loops can be virtuous drivers of, or vicious obstacles to, the energy transition. Reinforcing feedback loops amplify small changes, tending to create runaway growth or sudden collapse. Dampening feedback loops resist change, promoting stability despite shocks or intervention.
In this Comment, we extend on insights from previous work to describe six feedback loop dynamics as system archetypes — typical patterns of system behaviour that occur repeatedly across different sectors, technologies and geographies — relevant to the energy transition. These archetypes provide researchers and policymakers with valuable heuristics for understanding change and making decisions across diverse settings.
Read the full article at https://www.nature.com/articles/s44359-026-00149-2