Energy democracy: Reclaiming a unique agenda in energy transitions research

IF 6.9 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
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Abstract

The intersection of energy transitions and equity is a rapidly expanding area of research and concern. Within this literature, energy democracy and energy justice have arisen as two equity-related concepts sharing both overlap and distinctions, at times leading to conceptual confusion and diverging recommendations on how to address their overlap. Given the importance that research adequately wrestles with the intersection of energy transitions and equity, it is critical that scholars do not inadvertently obscure the complexities inherent in this field of research. With this in mind, our perspective paper illustrates the uniqueness of these concepts, with particular focus on energy democracy.
While energy justice has arisen as a valuable academic framework for assessing critical energy issues, we differentiate energy democracy as both a critique of dominant approaches to energy transitions and the offering of an alternative vision involving the reconfiguration of social relations in energy systems. We argue that without understanding the broader struggles in which energy democracy is embedded, it may otherwise be difficult to understand why its distinctiveness matters. Our paper therefore situates energy democracy within broader struggles to prefigure a democratic economy. Further, we argue that critical engagement with these broader social movements and their associated literatures may position energy researchers to better wrestle with challenges facing energy democracy and energy transitions, including systemic power imbalances, Western biases in equity-related frameworks, and the structural barriers inherent in existing economic systems.
能源民主:恢复能源转型研究的独特议程
能源转型与公平的交集是一个迅速扩大的研究和关注领域。在这些文献中,能源民主和能源公正作为两个与公平相关的概念出现,它们既有重叠也有区别,有时会导致概念混淆,并就如何解决它们的重叠提出不同的建议。鉴于研究充分探讨能源转型与公平的交叉问题非常重要,因此学者们不能无意中掩盖这一研究领域固有的复杂性,这一点至关重要。有鉴于此,我们的视角论文阐述了这些概念的独特性,并特别关注能源民主。虽然能源公正已成为评估关键能源问题的一个有价值的学术框架,但我们将能源民主区分为既是对主流能源转型方法的批判,也是提供一种涉及能源系统中社会关系重构的替代愿景。我们认为,如果不了解能源民主所蕴含的更广泛的斗争,就很难理解其独特性为何如此重要。因此,我们的论文将能源民主置于预设民主经济的更广泛斗争之中。此外,我们还认为,批判性地参与这些更广泛的社会运动及其相关文献,可以使能源研究人员更好地应对能源民主和能源转型所面临的挑战,包括系统性的权力失衡、公平相关框架中的西方偏见以及现有经济体系中固有的结构性障碍。
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来源期刊
Energy Research & Social Science
Energy Research & Social Science ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES-
CiteScore
14.00
自引率
16.40%
发文量
441
审稿时长
55 days
期刊介绍: Energy Research & Social Science (ERSS) is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes original research and review articles examining the relationship between energy systems and society. ERSS covers a range of topics revolving around the intersection of energy technologies, fuels, and resources on one side and social processes and influences - including communities of energy users, people affected by energy production, social institutions, customs, traditions, behaviors, and policies - on the other. Put another way, ERSS investigates the social system surrounding energy technology and hardware. ERSS is relevant for energy practitioners, researchers interested in the social aspects of energy production or use, and policymakers. Energy Research & Social Science (ERSS) provides an interdisciplinary forum to discuss how social and technical issues related to energy production and consumption interact. Energy production, distribution, and consumption all have both technical and human components, and the latter involves the human causes and consequences of energy-related activities and processes as well as social structures that shape how people interact with energy systems. Energy analysis, therefore, needs to look beyond the dimensions of technology and economics to include these social and human elements.
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