The language of systems can be highly useful when defined clearly. It can help make sense of the interconnectedness of key actors, the ‘emergence’ of outcomes from large numbers of interactions, and the proposed transformation – by many governments - towards sustainable energy systems. However, ‘whole systems analysis’ and ‘systems thinking’ is often too vague to guide this project well. To explore these issues in depth, we show how they arise frequently in UK energy policy research and its impact on policymaking. First, our systematic review shows how researchers present patchy or inconsistent stories, in which the role of policy and policymaking is unclear, when they describe energy systems. Second, UK and devolved governments often use the language of systems to propose paradigmatic energy policy change, but refer to a metaphor rather than academic insights. Third, we outline three ways to make clearer sense of energy transitions and policy with reference to socio-technical, complex, and social-ecological systems.

明确定义时，系统语言会非常有用。它可以帮助理解关键角色的相互联系，大量互动产生的结果的“出现”，以及许多政府提议的向可持续能源系统的转型。但是，“整个系统分析”和“系统思考”通常太含糊，无法很好地指导该项目。为了深入探讨这些问题，我们展示了它们在英国能源政策研究中如何频繁出现及其对政策制定的影响。首先，我们的系统评价显示了研究人员在描述能源系统时如何呈现不连贯或不一致的故事，其中政策和政策制定的作用尚不清楚。其次，英国和权力下放的政府经常使用系统语言来提出范式化的能源政策变更，而是指隐喻而不是学术见解。第三，我们参考以下三种方法来更清晰地了解能源转型和政策意义社会技术，复杂和社会生态系统。