The Rise and Fall of Energy Democracy: 5 Cases of Collaborative Governance in Energy Systems
(2023) In Environmental Management 71(3). p.551-564- Abstract
- A wide range of actors are seeking to democratize energy systems. In the collaborative governance process of energy system transitions to net zero, however, many energy democracy concepts are watered down or abandoned entirely. Using five renewable energy case studies, we first explore the diversity of energy democratizing system challengers and bottom-up actors. Secondly, we analyze the role of conflict and challenges arising from the subsequent collaborative governance process and identify what appear to be blind spots in the CG literature. Our case studies on Berlin (GER), Jena (GER), Kalmar (SWE),
Minneapolis (US) and Southeast England (UK) include different types of policy processes and actors. They suggest that actors championing... (More) - A wide range of actors are seeking to democratize energy systems. In the collaborative governance process of energy system transitions to net zero, however, many energy democracy concepts are watered down or abandoned entirely. Using five renewable energy case studies, we first explore the diversity of energy democratizing system challengers and bottom-up actors. Secondly, we analyze the role of conflict and challenges arising from the subsequent collaborative governance process and identify what appear to be blind spots in the CG literature. Our case studies on Berlin (GER), Jena (GER), Kalmar (SWE),
Minneapolis (US) and Southeast England (UK) include different types of policy processes and actors. They suggest that actors championing energy democracy principles play an important role in opening participation in the early stages of collaborative energy transition governance. As collaborative governance progresses, participation tends to be increasingly restricted. We conclude that collaborative processes by themselves are insufficient in maintaining energy democracy principles in the energy transition. These require institutional embedding of participative facilitation and consensus building. The Kalmar case study as our only successful example of energy democracy suggests that a more intermediated and service-oriented approach to energy provision can create a business case for democratizing energy provision through collaborative governance. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/87b7d9c2-c4f4-462a-a5d4-a397bda4b477
- author
- Berthod, Olivier ; Blanchet, Thomas ; Busch, Henner LU ; Kunze, Conrad ; Nolden, Colin and Wenderlich, Michelle
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- energy democracy, collaborative governance, renewable energy
- in
- Environmental Management
- volume
- 71
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 551 - 564
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85135275067
- pmid:35906345
- ISSN
- 0364-152X
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00267-022-01687-8
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 87b7d9c2-c4f4-462a-a5d4-a397bda4b477
- date added to LUP
- 2022-08-02 09:00:32
- date last changed
- 2023-02-22 11:46:17
@article{87b7d9c2-c4f4-462a-a5d4-a397bda4b477, abstract = {{A wide range of actors are seeking to democratize energy systems. In the collaborative governance process of energy system transitions to net zero, however, many energy democracy concepts are watered down or abandoned entirely. Using five renewable energy case studies, we first explore the diversity of energy democratizing system challengers and bottom-up actors. Secondly, we analyze the role of conflict and challenges arising from the subsequent collaborative governance process and identify what appear to be blind spots in the CG literature. Our case studies on Berlin (GER), Jena (GER), Kalmar (SWE),<br/>Minneapolis (US) and Southeast England (UK) include different types of policy processes and actors. They suggest that actors championing energy democracy principles play an important role in opening participation in the early stages of collaborative energy transition governance. As collaborative governance progresses, participation tends to be increasingly restricted. We conclude that collaborative processes by themselves are insufficient in maintaining energy democracy principles in the energy transition. These require institutional embedding of participative facilitation and consensus building. The Kalmar case study as our only successful example of energy democracy suggests that a more intermediated and service-oriented approach to energy provision can create a business case for democratizing energy provision through collaborative governance.}}, author = {{Berthod, Olivier and Blanchet, Thomas and Busch, Henner and Kunze, Conrad and Nolden, Colin and Wenderlich, Michelle}}, issn = {{0364-152X}}, keywords = {{energy democracy; collaborative governance; renewable energy}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{3}}, pages = {{551--564}}, publisher = {{Springer}}, series = {{Environmental Management}}, title = {{The Rise and Fall of Energy Democracy: 5 Cases of Collaborative Governance in Energy Systems}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00267-022-01687-8}}, doi = {{10.1007/s00267-022-01687-8}}, volume = {{71}}, year = {{2023}}, }