Theorizing for Maintenance Management Improvements: Using Case Studies from the Icelandic Geothermal Sector

Abstract

As renewable energy sectors evolve and grow within a country, the need for expertise to maintain its infrastructure grows. Such expertise is often provided by foreign industries. It is in the global interest to facilitate expertise to grow domestically, eventually leading to widespread clusters of industries around a renewable energy sector and a global growth of expertise. This ultimately fast tracks the development in the renewable energy sector since more players become active in developing solutions. In this article the factors influencing domestic development are identified from previous studies conducted within the Icelandic geothermal sector. The cause and effect relationships between the identified factors are then mapped. A system dynamics causal loop diagram based on Icelandic case studies is presented to visualise how the formation of industrial clusters in the renewable energy sector can be initiated. This visualisation, based on the Icelandic geothermal sector, can be of use for other industries in the renewable energy sector who are attempting to conduct their maintenance procedures domestically and increase the rate of innovation within a country.

Keywords

• cluster theory
• renewable energy
• innovation
• geothermal
• maintenance