{"title":"From awareness to adoption: Stakeholder perceptions of solar lights among marginalized communities in rural India","authors":"Ranajit Bera , Pulak Mishra , Priyadarshi Patnaik","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104129","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104129","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Environmental challenges posed by the increasing use of fossil fuels and their gradual depletion have induced initiatives towards promotion and adoption of sustainable and eco-friendly energy alternatives globally. However, while such initiatives play catalytic role in promoting large scale adoption of renewable energy sources, several socio-economic and behavioural aspects are also expected to significantly influence the households' willingness to accept and adopt these alternatives. Given this backdrop, this study explores how households' perceptions about the benefits influence adoption of solar energy by the marginalized communities in rural context. The paper is based on the experiences and insights from two selected blocks of West Bengal, India. In addition to the primary survey of 153 sample households, including both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, the paper also uses data and information gathered through personal interviews and focus group discussions. Using principal component analysis, the paper finds that knowledge and awareness, ease of operation and maintenance, performance, and economic benefits influence households' willingness to adopt solar lights significantly. These factors together contribute to 70.68 % of the variance in households' willingness in this regard. Besides, trusts among different stakeholders also raise households' willingness to adopt such technologies. Thus, emphasis should be given on promoting awareness of renewable energy technologies and building trust and confidence among different stakeholders, particularly in rural areas, through social mobilization, capacity building programs, and community outreach.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104129"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jay Ganesh Pandey, Kumar Gaurav, Adarsh Kumar Singh, Atul Kumar
{"title":"Just transition beyond extraction: A spatial and comparative case study of two coal mining areas in India","authors":"Jay Ganesh Pandey, Kumar Gaurav, Adarsh Kumar Singh, Atul Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104136","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104136","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>India's reliance on coal for development faces growing challenges amid climate change, necessitating coal phase-down, guided by the principles of just transition. This work builds towards the need for spatial analysis of energy justice by acknowledging the significance of space in driving a just socio-technical transition. Drawing on the primary household surveys in two coal mining regions of Chatra district (Jharkhand state) and Jharsuguda district (Odisha state) in India, this work maps the geographic footprint of coal mining using various socio-economic indicators in a local context. Further, a comparative analysis of these two coal mining regions has examined the regional variations in coal dependency. The findings indicate that coal dependency is predominantly tied to livelihoods and is concentrated primarily within a 5-kilometre radius of coal mines, diminishing substantially beyond this range. The coal dependency is also higher for primary cooking fuel, higher income levels, and corporate social responsibility activities in this range. This study exposes the vulnerability of the coal mining region during the closure of coal mines by highlighting the low skill levels, low landholding patterns and low coverage of social security schemes like ration cards. It is demonstrated that notable regional disparities exist among coal mining regions regarding reliance on coal for livelihoods, cooking fuel, skill training, social security coverage and other indicators. These insights underscore the necessity of a bottom-up approach to guide a just energy transition, with a focus on adapting strategies to local contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104136"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transition or not? Assessing competing narratives in South Africa's just energy transition","authors":"Almut Mohr","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104099","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104099","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper investigates how and why stakeholders in the just energy transition in South Africa, where coal is the main source of electricity and a major export product, support or oppose a transition. Based on novel primary data collected through interviews with the environmental and labour movements in South Africa, with a special focus in Mpumalanga Province, the paper assesses the different narratives that have emerged about the just energy transition. Using an inductive coding process, the empirical analysis reveals narratives around six key themes that justify or reject just energy transition efforts: (1) climate change; (2) environmental pollution; (3) affected communities and workers; (4) energy crisis; (5) international exports; (6) just transition planning and implementation. A cluster analysis reveals differences between the two movements and within the labour movement and shows that geographical proximity to coal infrastructure matters. The findings from South Africa can inform our understanding on the role of social movements in just energy transitions in the Global South more generally, and the extent to which narratives matter for the support or opposition of an energy transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 104099"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fleur Goedkoop , Lise Jans , Goda Perlaviciute , Karen R.S. Hamann
{"title":"Inclusive community energy initiatives? Understanding involvement of different socio-demographic groups","authors":"Fleur Goedkoop , Lise Jans , Goda Perlaviciute , Karen R.S. Hamann","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104104","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104104","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In order for community energy initiatives (CEIs) to grow and contribute to a just and sustainable energy transition, citizens from different socio-demographic groups need to be involved. Initial evidence however shows that CEIs tend to be set up and led by relatively well-off, well-educated, older men. Less is known about socio-demographic differences in CEI membership and willingness to join, and what explains why demographic groups may differ in their involvement. We examine this among a representative sample of the Dutch population (<em>N</em><sub><em>total</em></sub> = 1553) including both non-members and members of CEIs, examining the role of pro-environmental motivations, efficacy beliefs, and social contact with CEI members. Overall, we found mixed results regarding differences between socio-demographic groups, yet we consistently observe that men and people with a high income are more aware of and willing to join a CEI, which can partly be explained by perceived efficacy to join and contact with already involved members, but not pro-environmental motivation. We discuss how our findings contribute to informing energy communities and policy makers on designing effective strategies for engaging different (groups of) people in energy communities to achieve their full democratic and sustainability potential.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 104104"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
José Opazo Bunster , Carla Alvial Palavicino , Shahriyar Nasirov
{"title":"Adaptation and evolution of policy processes to support an emerging renewable market: The case of distributed generation in Chile","authors":"José Opazo Bunster , Carla Alvial Palavicino , Shahriyar Nasirov","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104127","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104127","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition from centralized energy systems to decentralized ones, relying more on distributed generation (DG), remains a complex political process with unresolved policy discussions. The process is also characterized by the emergence of new and diverse policy configurations for DG in many countries. This study aims to analyze the emergence and evolution of the policy process related to policy instruments for the development of a DG market in Chile as a country case study. Chile's policy approach to renewable energy development has been branded as “renewables without subsidies,” with a policy rationale focused on removing barriers to renewable energy participation in a competitive energy market, while avoiding the use of any type of direct government incentives. Using a multi-method qualitative approach, we analyze how the political relevance of DG, policy objectives, and learning processes shaped the DG sector in Chile. We also discuss how the opportunities and resistance presented by various actors in policy processes influenced the emergence and transformation of DG policies. The findings of the study reveal that the policy process for DG is marked by nonlinear, contested development and complex conflicting goals and actions. Some differences in policy directions — such as creating new rules to enable the development of new markets for DG and adapting existing rules to allow DG technologies and new actors to operate within current markets — are partially resolved through the adoption of specific policy instruments, which shape the policy mix.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 104127"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Housing and household vulnerabilities to summer overheating: A Latent Classification for England","authors":"Lin Zhang, Caitlin Robinson, Lenka Hasova","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104126","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104126","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Increasing global warming and climate change pose a challenge for minimising overheating in buildings and the demand for mechanical cooling, particularly for the most vulnerable populations. A thorough understanding of the factors that influence overheating can facilitate the design of healthier and safer housing under a warming climate. Diverse social and material characteristics are known to shape vulnerability to indoor overheating. However, to date, there is a lack of research that centres understanding of social vulnerabilities by focusing on how their <em>subjective</em> experiences of overheating vary. In response, this research investigates subjective overheating vulnerabilities analysing the largest recent sample of English dwellings, comprising 11,152 households. Methodologically, using Latent Class Analysis, four classes are derived which highlight specific housing characteristics that increase the likelihood of a household experiencing overheating. We highlight the crucial role of specific building characteristics (e.g. flats, insulated solid walls) and tenancy arrangements (e.g. social and private renting) in exacerbating overheating risks, especially when vulnerable groups reside in them. Particularly, households with low incomes, older or retired members and younger individuals are more likely to report the risk of overheating. By revealing relationships between housing and household characteristics regarding subjective overheating, we highlight the multifaceted nature of the indoor overheating issue with implications for domestic policymakers considering low-carbon building schemes and regulations on thermal comfort.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 104126"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144072075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laurens S.F. Frowijn , David M. Baneke , Gert Jan Kramer
{"title":"Imagining a hydrogen economy: From grand technological utopia to enabler of the energy transition in three waves since the 1970s","authors":"Laurens S.F. Frowijn , David M. Baneke , Gert Jan Kramer","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104084","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104084","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conceptions of a future hydrogen economy have undergone a significant evolution over the past 50+ years. This study identifies three distinct ‘Waves’, or periods of high expectations for a hydrogen economy. The First and Second Waves were followed by declining optimism; the Third Wave is ongoing today. The three Waves are analyzed through a multi-method literature review, and we specifically analyze the First Wave through key historical sources and contextual analysis. We argue that the hydrogen economy emerged in the 1970s as a techno-utopian narrative within the scientific community, where hydrogen was envisioned as the ultimate energy carrier, driven by nuclear energy. Characteristics of the techno-utopian narrative include utopian terminology, dystopian future images, and neglect of negative side effects. During this period, the hydrogen economy did not develop beyond the conceptual phase. The Second Wave, starting in the mid-1990s, witnessed a resurgence of interest in hydrogen, particularly in the mobility sector. Governmental support and media portrayal fueled public enthusiasm, but practical challenges and misleading information resulted in disillusionment with the hydrogen economy ideal by the late 2000s. Today, in the Third Wave, hydrogen is repositioned as an energy vector for a more sustainable future, primarily as a carrier of (variable) renewable energy sources. Lessons from earlier Waves emphasize the importance of affordable renewable energy for hydrogen production, realistic objectives, a developed hydrogen infrastructure, and cross-sector collaboration. By addressing these elements, the Third Wave can avoid past pitfalls and advance hydrogen’s role in a sustainable energy future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"126 ","pages":"Article 104084"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143948365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kimberley Clare O'Sullivan , Rachel Kowalchuk Dohig , Zhiting Chen , Terence Jiang , Nevil Pierse , Mylène Riva , Runa R. Das
{"title":"Heating up, cooling off: exploring cooling behaviours at home in Aotearoa New Zealand","authors":"Kimberley Clare O'Sullivan , Rachel Kowalchuk Dohig , Zhiting Chen , Terence Jiang , Nevil Pierse , Mylène Riva , Runa R. Das","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104128","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104128","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We explored the experiences of summer indoor overheating and summer cooling behaviours in Aotearoa New Zealand using a postal survey. Limited research has engaged with New Zealander's cooling behaviours due to a temperate climate. However, poor thermal dwelling quality and climate warming mean that summer indoor overheating is possibly an emerging problem. The survey was carried out between December 2021 and February 2022, with 641 respondents in total. Overheating was self-reported by almost three quarters of respondents. Use of passive cooling methods was most common, but active cooling methods (e.g. electric fans, heat pump cooling) were used by almost three quarters of respondents. Of the 65 % of households who had a heat pump, 72 % of these used it for cooling. Research from Aotearoa New Zealand has previously shown low use of energy intensive active cooling methods, indicating a change in cooling behaviours. To limit increased residential energy demand and emissions associated with more energy intensive active cooling, both improved housing thermal performance and behavioural change interventions that prioritise passive cooling approaches are required. We also find significant disparity in overheating, and access to and affordability of cooling to achieve comfortable and healthy indoor temperatures. This inequity requires urgent investigation and policy action.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 104128"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ravi Jayaweera , Sebastian Losacker , Le Thi Song , Dirk Schwede
{"title":"Regional preconditions and sustainability transition pathways: Insights from circular, bio-based and resource-efficient building material innovations in Vietnam","authors":"Ravi Jayaweera , Sebastian Losacker , Le Thi Song , Dirk Schwede","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104133","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104133","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High urbanization dynamics and major construction activities in its cities have highlighted the need for more sustainable building practices in the Global South. While local innovation processes take place at the grassroots level, they often struggle to break through. The study follows the main research question of how regional preconditions characterize the innovation, diffusion and transition dynamics of different “green” building material technologies in different spatial settings of Vietnam. We seek to understand the relations between local socio-technical configurations and the diversity of innovations and potential transition pathways. This is particularly relevant for southern contexts where scholars have noted a greater regime heterogeneity. Instead of black boxing “green innovations” and “the Global South”, we study place- and technology-specific effects of regional configurations as preconditions for the development and diffusion of circular, bio-based and more resource-efficient building material innovations in three regions of Vietnam (Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City). To understand the region- and technology-specific characteristics, we build a framework that differentiates three main dimensions of regional preconditions, institutional factors, the technical specialisation and material flows, and thirdly, market networks and demand. The results show that some preconditions vary for different material innovations and regions while others take effect across technologies, regions or scales. This creates highly differentiated opportunity-spaces for different innovations that can be addressed with targeted and diversified transition strategies that address (trans) regional preconditions on different scales and for different emergent technologies and regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 104133"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Headlining justice from coalfields to clean futures: How the Australian newsprint media frames a just energy transition","authors":"Rachel Walters , Megan Farrelly , Wikke Novalia , Rob Raven","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104131","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2025.104131","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Incorporating justice considerations into energy transitions dialogues is important. However, what constitutes what is (un)just is perceived differently by different actors and is subject to moral interpretations and influenced by broader landscape factors. The media in particular are considered salient in framing how particular issues are presented, understood and actioned upon. The current study used a framing approach to unpack the conceptualisation of just energy transitions in Australian newsprint media discourse. Australia is a useful case study because of its enduring history of socio-political struggles on climate and energy transition topics. The analysis points towards four underlying notions of justice in energy transition in the Australian context: ‘socio-political’ which places an emphasis on justice as a political responsibility; ‘socio-economic’ focuses on the unjust experiences faced by people and places both from powerplant and mine closures as a consequence of energy decarbonisation; ‘socio-spatial’ attends to social and spatial complexities as well as inequities from climate change, fossil-fuel energy production and use, plus the diverse impacts of energy transitions across different geographies; and ‘whole-of-energy-system’ considers current and future fossil-fuel as well as renewable energy system impacts. Implications include spatial and temporal injustices. The findings highlight that actors mobilized throughout these frames hold differing beliefs and considerations of what is (un)just, what needs to change and who should be involved. In conclusion, by linking theoretical considerations with empirical media analysis our research contributes to the growing just transition discourse by clarifying public debates plus actor positions, underscoring the plurality through which just energy transitions are understood.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"125 ","pages":"Article 104131"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}