Energy Democracy in Practice : A Participatory Approach to the Community Governance of Renewables

Energy democracy as an energy planning paradigm proposes that citizens play a major role within the governing of their local energy resources. Previous research indicates that local governments are in a key position to drive these collaborative and bottom-up approaches in community energy governance. The key challenge lies in mobilising abstract democratic ideals in a practical manner. Creating socio-material platforms for democratic participation within contemporary energy planning is a prominent research gap to be filled in light of the global energy transition towards post-carbon societies. This paper draws on the field of design-driven research and the framework of “democratic design experiments” to propose a possible line of departure on how energy democracy can be practiced at a local governmental scale. Using this framework, a pilot study was conducted in a neighbourhood in the north of Sweden to explore future potential solar photovoltaic panel landscapes in the area. The workshop revealed opportunities for creative and playful methods in producing situated imaginings of solar panel futures that is built upon meaningful local collaboration. On a systemic level, the paper discusses potential challenges in motivation and participation in the framework’s wider scope of implementation.ISBN för värdpublikation: 978-84-9749-794-7