Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Comparative Study of Community Engagement with Renewable Electricity Technology

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Project Overview This doctoral dissertation research project explores changing ideas about energy as global production shifts from fossil fuels to renewable sources. The co-PI (that is, the doctoral dissertation researcher) will examine the processes by which governments, NGOs, energy industries, and the media seek to influence the public imagination with regards to community values and their relations with local renewable energy projects. The research focus is on the differing conceptions of community and renewable energy as presented through promotional material about four specific community solar projects. The projects are located in Treviso, Italy, and Flagstaff, Arizona, two cities where solar power systems are becoming increasingly common. The co-PI will analyze how these ideas are produced, circulated, and received using mixed qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews with key individuals in the energy industry, non-governmental organizations, and in government; material analysis of pertinent images, texts, and objects; and engagement with community focus groups. Intellectual Merit Despite the pervasiveness of energy production and distribution, the underlying processes often remains invisible to consumers. This research engages those directly involved in educating publics about community renewable energy initiatives. It studies the ideas about renewable energy (in this case, solar-generated electricity) that infiltrate everyday life through advertisements, informational campaigns, policy mechanisms, the availability of energy technologies, and in daily conversations. Researching this unique space is crucial for understanding how publics, policy actors, NGOs, industry, and media interact to create a shared public understanding about social and technological change. The project will push the field forward by giving public uptake and reception the full attention it deserves through engagement with citizens. Broader Impacts The results of this study will be disseminated not only through academic journals (like Energy Policy, Environment and Planning, and Public Culture), but also through popular media outlets such as the Community Power Report, to which the co-PI is a contributor. The research will also engage in outreach efforts to Italian and Arizonan youth including those with populations underrepresented in STEM fields. Finally, this dissertation research advances the STEM career of a female, first generation college student, the co-PI.