A fundamental technological transformation in the energy sector is widely seen as a prerequisite of effective climate change mitigation. In light of the urgency of global warming, public policy plays a central role in accelerating this energy transition, which requires overcoming numerous technological, economic, social and institutional challenges. However, due to the complexity of sociotechnical change in the energy sector, successfully governing this transition necessitates a holistic approach rather than fixing individual issues with a patchwork of isolated policy instruments that may undermine each other. As a result, designing more effective, ie several policy instruments embraced by an overarching policy strategy, gains increasing importance.