Thematic index of all SLE posts
Use this as an alternative to the chronological "archive" to find the insight you're looking for!
Welcome to this ‘live’ grand thematic overview of the Social Life of Energy! I hope this overview gives you an easier way into older posts than the standard ‘archive’ view that Substack provides. Happy perusals!
This newsletter explores the social dimensions of fair and fast energy transitions. I grouped these dimensions into the themes below. You’ll find some posts under multiple thematic headings.
Themes:
Science in transition
Democracy and sustainability
The politics of sustainability
Inclusion and exclusion
Community
Energy as market
The energy system
Smart
and at the end an overview of all the issues in the “lessons from the history of anthropology for the future or renewable energy” series!
Science in transition
As both the nature of the challenge as well as our understanding of it changes, our research priorities shift as well.
Design anthropology: crafting the future of renewable energy / May 21, 2020
Combining the hands-on prototype intervention from design with the hands-off ethnographic observation from anthropology, in order to gauge what people (may) want to and be able to do with new energy technologies.
The bewildering mistakes in Planet of the Humans / April 30, 2020
Not really about science of transition, but at least in part about how energy science and technology move fast, as the film makers make use of a lot of outdated information to come to some terrible conclusions.
Why you need a science of technology / Jan 23, 2020
The value of understanding the social embeddedness of technology development and use. Technology does not come in one size that fits all.
We need more social science in the energy field /Jan 6, 2020
Our climate challenge is not primarily a technological challenge, it is a social one. We need to be better attuned to the social, cultural and political dimensions of change.
The gender of renewable energy / November 14, 2019
Social scientists of energy in the Global North have a thing or two to learn from their colleagues working on the South in terms of including gender in their analyses.
(R)evolutionary change / September 9, 2019
On the evolution of evolutionary concept in the science of transition
Transitology in transition: what role for the state? / August 16, 2019
As it becomes increasingly evident that governments have a crucial and decisive role to play in making clean energy happen, the energy social sciences should study what implies
Can I get there by model-ling? / July 15, 2019
On the effort of making our forecasting models more socially robust
What deal do we need for 2030? / July 8, 2019
We are running out of time. What can we say about how fast social system changes occur?
Democracy and citizenship
If you want to change something so fundamental to society as its energy system, you cannot avoid re-imagining who should get to say what about whom.
What do we need citizens for anyway? / July 16, 2020
Podcast update of “Everything is connected” (see below), which focuses on the question whether life transitions opens up space for new (energy) practices.
What is our toolkit for sustainable and equitable energy? / April 17, 2020
Perspective from the energy democracy movement
Electric citizenship: the struggle for equitable energy infrastructure / April 2, 2020
Figuring what resolute climate action means for the global south makes clear that what is at stake in energy transitions anywhere: citizenship.
Doing energy democracy - cooperatively / Feb 4, 2020
Interview with Thijs de Jong of Amsterdam-based energy cooperative Amsterdam Energie about how to attract and involve members
Full interview with him here (in Dutch).
Be ye transformed by renewable energy policy / December 11, 2019
How do citizens carve out a new place for themselves within this changing energy system?
Everything is connected / October 1, 2019
People’s expectations of (renewable) energy (systems) need to be understood in the context of their daily lives, not (just) in value surveys.
Land use: how can we do bioenergy right? / August 26, 2019
Making sure that biofuel also benefits local communities takes sustained engagement with them.
Public participation in really existing smart cities / July 30, 2019
What track record do smart cities have in ensuring or promoting citizen’s participation and equitable distribution of economic benefits?
Out now: History, the future and the words to connect them / June 3, 2019
Various studies about the difficulty of connecting with stakeholders, whether to rally the forces around the renewable energy flag or guarantee a meaningful say for project participants.
The tree-hugger, the public and the politician / May 1, 2019
What is the ‘power of the people’ in shaping their energy futures? How much do we actually want to change?
The politics of sustainability
There’s going to a lot of tugging and towing over something with so many emergent and deeply entrenched interests. Most of posts in this section involve the role of national governments in shaping the conditions for renewable energy (at time as part of geopolitical position plays).
What sustainable policies could help us face the consequences of Covid-19? / May 10, 2020
We’ll need strong state action in order to recover economically. What action can also help us meet climate goals?
The bewildering mistakes in Planet of the Humans / April 30, 2020
This documentary is interesting in how an icon for social justice wound up in the same camp as the fossil fuel industry and right-wing climate change deniers.
What is our toolkit for sustainable and equitable energy? April 17, 2020
Also in “democracy”. It’s included here as well, because of my sense of their political and administrative feasibility
Energy policy as if our house was on fire / March 27, 2020
What is urgent energy policy and can the sudden destabilization of Covid-19 become a turning point? Will it change our perception of what is possible to do to tackle climate change?
Our future landscapes of no-carbon splendour / March 23, 2020
Investments proposed by GND to get to a more equitable and sustainable future, fast.
Pathways to sustainability, #GND style / March 18, 2020
To make space for sustainable energy system, we need to take on fossil fuel.
What it means to take bold and imaginative climate action
My plan to take stock of the most promising policy packages so I can explore their social implications in future issues
The European Green Deal (II) / March 2, 2020
Review of Eastern European perceptions of the Green Deal from the angle of energy justice
Energy security, nuclear and renewables / November 21, 2019
Energy security is a dominant concern in Central and Eastern European countries. The EU should take this concerns seriously.
A Global Green New Deal / October 18, 2019
How to make sure poor countries can develop sustainably when the global market is mostly premised on the exploitation of their markets?
The Symbolic Life of Energy / October 9, 2019
This issue on the symbolic power of the margin includes a look at conflict over the dams serving electricity to Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay
Speaking of biofuels, why aren't we getting them right? / September 2, 2019
Explain why we have policies that don’t make sense (biofuels) and why we don’t have policies that do make sense (CSS)?
Transitology in transition: what role for the state? / August 16, 2019
As it becomes increasingly evident that governments have a crucial and decisive role to play in making clean energy happen, the energy social sciences should study what implies
The Green New Deal and the future of the social life of energy / July 1, 2019
I outline why I’ll be taking the Green New Deal as a reference frame to determine which social processes we need to understand better (and what kind of research I will therefore cover)
Green neoliberalism, or the state of renewable energy in southern Africa / May 17, 2019
(Foreign) funding to integrate renewables into the mining-heavy electricity sector of South Africa and rising powers like Brazil, India and China in South Africa and Mozambique
Inclusion and exclusion
There are winners and losers in this energy transition. Social scientists who see ordinary people losing come up with suggestions to make sure fossil capital loses, but everybody else wins.
How to make space by making a little time / June 30, 2020
What are tools to keep people from diverse communities engaged in processes of change? How to do right by people of varying capacity to participate?
Energy transitions in a systemically unequal world / June 8, 2020
How the energy sector might heed the call of antiracism
Intersectional energy policy / April 9, 2020
How to make the energy transition work for everyone to make it work period, or the value of a gendered perspective
Energiebeleid voor iedereen / April 9, 2020 (podcast)
Gender, poverty and inclusive energy transitions
Transcript of podcast (in Dutch)
SLE Podcast! / April 7, 2020 (podcast - duh)
Slightly altered version of this post on the gender of renewable energy in Europe.
The European Green Deal (II) / March 2, 2020
Review of Eastern European perceptions of the Green Deal from the angle of energy justice
The European Green Deal (I) / February 26, 2020
Different concepts of energy justice in Green New Deal and EU Green Deal
How to make sure locals benefit from new energy infrastructure / Feb 17, 2020
How to organize the distribution of compensation funds (or benefits) from new energy infrastructure
Energy justice in smart grids / Jan 15, 2020
Interview with Christine Milchram about ow to break down ‘justice’ in the context of smart energy systems and how to subsequently design for it.
See here for my full interview.
The gender of renewable energy / November 14, 2019
Discover some of the reasons why women and men relate differently to matters of energy
Learning from fracking's (mis)fortunes / October 29, 2019
There is a new rural boom and bust cycle in the era of fracking. We can learn from this about how to not do renewable energy transitions.
The Symbolic Life of Energy / October 9, 2019
This issue on the symbolic power of the margin includes a look at how inhabitants experience (and get mostly left out of) the development of their ‘worthless’ rural land for new energy infrastructure.
Rural electricity at the last mile: new markets to the rescue? / August 8, 2019
When the grid is absent in developing countries, going local micro-grid seems the way to go. But the market doesn’t cater to everyone.
Social justice and the economics of the energy transition / May 10, 2019
Green capitalism is still capitalism and unless you have a robust legal framework and grassroots organizing you will see new inequality
Community
The future of energy is more local than its recent past. ‘Community’, always a devilishly deceivingly pretty word, will need to be understood much better to make sure the new arrangements benefit everyone.
How to make sure locals benefit from new energy infrastructure / Feb 17, 2020
How to define what or who the community is when you’re distributing compensation funds (or benefits) from new energy infrastructure
Doing energy democracy - cooperatively / Feb 4, 2020
Interview with Thijs de Jong of Amsterdam-based energy cooperative Amsterdam Energie about how to attract and involve members
Full interview with him here (in Dutch).
Where does the power of community energy come from? / Sep 17, 2019
Welcome to the age of community energy, where ownership of power generation is (partly) in the shared hands of a locality. When does it work, and why?
The Social Life of Energy - Issue #1 / April 23, 2019
Against NIMBYism, to understand ‘the reluctant public’ you need to understand the terms of the debate (instead of assuming people have some ready-made – defensive – opinion about these things)
Energy markets
Energy is valuable. It’s a backbone of the economy. Read on for posts about the economics of energy and the energy infrastructure of economies.
Green recovery through renewable energy auctions? / August 19, 2020
Emerging economies are opening up their energy markets for international investors to build out new renewable energy capacity, in the hope it will boost economic development.
The platformization of energy / June 18, 2020
Energy sharing platforms come with their own logic, which might subvert their democratizing potential
Pathways to sustainability, #GND style / March 18, 2020
Green (low-carbon) jobs are essential to (attaining a) sustainable future
Learning from fracking's (mis)fortunes / October 29, 2019
There is a new rural boom and bust cycle in the era of fracking. We can learn from this about how to not do renewable energy transitions.
A Global Green New Deal / October 18, 2019
How to make sure poor countries can develop sustainably when the global market is mostly premised on the exploitation of their markets?
Land use: how can we do bioenergy right? / August 26, 2019
How to make sure that socio-economic development, food security and biofuels don’t clash in emerging economies.
Rural electricity at the last mile: new markets to the rescue? / August 8, 2019
When the grid is absent in developing countries, going local micro-grid seems the way to go. But can micro-grid market players ensure equity?
Argentina’s Big Blackout / June 25, 2019
Argentina’s prospects and efforts to transitioning to zero-carbon energy is hampered by the country’s ongoing financial woes.
Green neoliberalism, or the state of renewable energy in southern Africa / May 17, 2019
The economics of sustainable energy – from mobile payments to transforming the mining sector – in Southern Energy
Social justice and the economics of the energy transition / May 10, 2019
Green capitalism is still capitalism and unless you have a robust legal framework and grassroots organizing you will see new inequality
Energy system
Energy powers our machines through an intricate system. That system involves the hard material of wires and the mushy material of human bodies. Trying to understand the intricate relations between these component is a science; suggesting ways to changing them, an art.
Unpacking the household / July 30, 2020
How are household relations shaped by the energy system? How can we use household relations to build a different energy system?
Our future landscapes of no-carbon splendour
Investments proposed by GND to get to a more equitable and sustainable future, fast. Includes program for energy grid.
Everything is connected / October 1, 2019
People’s expectations of (renewable) energy (systems) need to be understood in the context of their daily lives, not (just) in value surveys.
The energy system / September 23, 2019
But what do we mean by “the energy system”? What does it look like from a social scientific perspective?
Argentina’s Big Blackout / June 25, 2019
A case-study of a country’s challenges in transitioning to zero-carbon energy
The power and complexity of innovation / May 24, 2019
Various case-studies about the kinds of roadblocks fierce entrepreneurial souls might encounter on the path towards decentralized solutions for sustainable energy
Smart
As the grid becomes more unpredictable, (real-time) data becomes more important so we can anticipate energy flows and respond to changes. It’s not clear yet what this means for governments, energy providers and consumers.
Are smart cities sustainable cities? / April 23, 2020 (podcast)
Big mash up of these two earlier posts about smart cities (see below)
Energy justice in smart grids / Jan 15, 2020
Interview with Christine Milchram about ow to break down ‘justice’ in the context of smart energy systems and how to subsequently design for it.
See here for my full interview.
Public participation in really existing smart cities / July 30, 2019
Are ‘smart’ visions of citizen-centric policy democratically robust?
Smart sustainable cities: pathway or no way? / July 23, 2019
Smart urban programs do not have a strong record of making cities actually more sustainable.
The power and complexity of innovation / May 24, 2019
Roadblocks on the path towards decentralized solutions, including two case-studies on smart energy tech.
And to conclude:
All issues in the series “Lessons from the History of Anthropology”
Why you need a science of technology (lessons from Science & Technology Studies)
Be ye transformed by renewable energy (lessons from Foucault)
The gender of renewable energy (lessons from feminism)
A Global Green New Deal (lessons from Marxism)
The Symbolic Life of Energy (lessons from British symbolic anthropology)
Everything is connected (lessons from structuralism)
The energy system (lessons from structural functionalism)
Where does the power of community energy come from? (lessons from The Gift)
(R)evolutionary change (lessons from evolutionism)
That’s all for now! 😎