Orchestrating households as collectives of participation in the distributed energy transition: New empirical and conceptual insights

2020

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This chapter zooms out from looking at concrete pilot projects to looking more broadly at the implications of discussions on pilot projects as sites of politics. We discuss how such a perspective might feed into the work of innovators, funding bodies and the making of broader technology policy agendas. The chapter highlights the great potential in pilot projects as a mode of innovation for energy transitions, but bring to the fore the way such innovation activities often take on traditional and technology-centred characteristics. We argue that there is a need to change not only the ways that projects are funded to ensure diverse scientific participation. It is equally important to challenge the underlying assumptions and questions asked in pilot activities, as well as the goals of such energy transition activities. This entails a distributed agenda, where actors across the ecology of innovation share responsibilities for moving towards more just, democratic and humane modes of experimenting for sustainability.

Section: Transforming the Innovation Practices Of Pilot Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Catering for Socio-technical Transformations: Rethinking Technology Policy for Inclusive Transformation

2020

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“…In the past we have identified collectives of actors engaged in such work as collectives of orchestration (Skjølsvold et al 2018). Such collectives are primarily identified through the activities that they engage in.…”

Section: The Orchestration Of Participation In Pilot and Demonstratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Arguably, there are a set of at least three ideal typical collectives of orchestration (Skjølsvold et al 2018), that work to orchestrate participation at a spatial and temporal distance around the types of projects that we discuss in this book. These three are (a) collectives of policy production and regulation, (b) collectives of research, development and innovation, (c) and collectives of technology design.…”

Section: The Orchestration Of Participation In Pilot and Demonstratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scripts targeting this group often enrol users by focusing on political engagement and citizenry concerning environmental issues. These issues can be presented on online platforms that consist of gaming elements or competitions (gamification), or discussion forums, where platform users would be encouraged to discuss openly their experiences with solar energy, energy savings and environmental issues in general (Skjølsvold et al 2018).…”

Section: Collectives Of Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, we will probe the ways that participation is produced or orchestrated by a range of actors (e.g. Skjølsvold et al 2018). This is a move that illustrates not only that participation is a distributed phenomenon, but which points to the distributed responsibility of making conditions that cater for a diversity of voices, rationalities and practices of participation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Democratic and Participatory Pilot Projects?

2020

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This chapter starts from the normative assumption that since pilot projects are key sites in the shaping of future societies, it is essential that they are conducted in an inclusive and democratic way. Building on key perspectives from STS, we focus on two aspects: First, we consider participation as an orchestrated and distributed phenomenon, highlighting the fact that the way actors participate in such innovation activities will be shaped by technologies, assumptions and the work of a series of actors related to pilot projects. Consequently, we also note how new forms of participation can be actively nurtured. Second, we explore the role of technologies in shaping material participation. Here, we explore how material traits might produce new forms of awareness, knowledge or literacy, and new practices or action, amounting to what we call energy citizenship.

Transforming Society Through Pilot and Demonstration Projects

2020

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This chapter introduces pilot and demonstration projects as a key mode of innovation within contemporary energy and mobility transitions. It argues that such projects are important political sites for the production of future socio-technical order. The politics of such projects are contested: on the one hand, they have been argued to remove political agency from deliberative fora in favour of private decisions, on the other hand they have been argued to constitute new democratic opportunities. This chapter situates a discussion on these issues within Science and Technology Studies (STS). The chapter further discusses the relationship between STS and some of the currently dominating approaches to sustainability transitions and argues how STS can bring new insights to the study of energy transitions and societal change. The chapter also provides basic insights into some key social and technical aspects of current energy and mobility transitions.