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Societal acceptance of an emerging energy technology: How is geothermal energy portrayed in Australian media?

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  • Romanach, Lygia
  • Carr-Cornish, Simone
  • Muriuki, Grace

Abstract

The media shapes and is shaped by public sentiment of emerging technologies. One way to gauge the societal acceptance levels of an emerging technology, such as geothermal energy technology in Australia, is to analyse how the technology is reported in the media. This study identified the benefits and risks that have been reported and the social actors represented, informed by extant research of factors that impact societal acceptance. A total of 451 Australian news items on geothermal energy technology published between July 1st, 2011 and June 30th, 2012 were used for this content analysis, which encompassed the release of the Australian Government׳s Clean Energy Plan. Consistent with geothermal technology being an emerging technology in Australia, economic feasibility and uncertainty about the technology were the most frequently reported risks. Industry was one of the most cited social actors in geothermal news media and it was more likely to be cited in articles reporting the economic feasibility and uncertainty about the technology, reflecting the current state of the industry in Australia. Renewable and low-emission energy were the most frequently cited benefits, which were often reported as part of the Australian Government Clean Energy Plan. Overall, this emerging technology has maintained a restricted profile in the media to date, with limited controversy or politicisation. This profile is likely to remain, in particular the focus on the technology economic feasibility, which remains the main challenge to the technology entering large-scale development in Australia.

Suggested Citation

  • Romanach, Lygia & Carr-Cornish, Simone & Muriuki, Grace, 2015. "Societal acceptance of an emerging energy technology: How is geothermal energy portrayed in Australian media?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1143-1150.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:42:y:2015:i:c:p:1143-1150
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.10.088
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Liang, Ting & Zhang, Yue-Jun & Qiang, Wei, 2022. "Does technological innovation benefit energy firms’ environmental performance? The moderating effect of government subsidies and media coverage," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
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    5. Christopher L. Cummings & Sonny Rosenthal, 2018. "Climate change and technology: examining opinion formation of geoengineering," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 38(2), pages 208-215, June.
    6. Shapiro, Matthew A. & Bolsen, Toby, 2019. "Korean perceptions of transboundary air pollution and domestic coal development: Two framing experiments," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 333-342.
    7. Gordon, Joel A. & Balta-Ozkan, Nazmiye & Nabavi, Seyed Ali, 2023. "Socio-technical barriers to domestic hydrogen futures: Repurposing pipelines, policies, and public perceptions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 336(C).
    8. Xenia Tabachkova, 2021. "Consequences of Oil Supply and Demand on the Electricity Market: Coronavirus Effect," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(4), pages 573-580.
    9. Batel, Susana, 2020. "Re-presenting the rural in the UK press: An exploration of the construction, contestation and negotiation of media discourses on the rural within post-carbon energy transitions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).

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