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Solar energy justice: A case-study analysis of Saskatchewan, Canada

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  • Dolter, Brett D.
  • Boucher, Martin

Abstract

Our study investigates solar energy justice in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. In 2017, we were engaged by the Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SaskPower), a government owned electric utility, to conduct stakeholder engagement workshops for the development of new solar energy programs in Saskatchewan. In coordination with SaskPower we developed a deliberative dialogue approach to the consultation process. Select stakeholders were invited to participate in a half-day workshop. In this workshop participants were asked for input on the principles that would guide SaskPower’s solar energy strategy, the barriers that prevent solar energy from being installed in the province, and their ideas for effective solar energy programs. Participants worked in small groups to design solar energy programs, creating opportunities for mutual learning and deliberation. This research is the first application of deliberative dialogue to the design of solar energy programs of which we are aware and offers an example of due process in the program design stage of energy planning. We use an energy justice decision-making (Sovacool et al., 2014) tool to evaluate the process of designing SaskPower’s solar energy strategy and the content of recommendations made by participants to answer the question, can due process help to achieve energy justice? Participants in our deliberative dialogue suggested guiding principles that were similar to the dimensions of the energy justice decision-making tool. The deliberative process also highlighted tensions between dimensions of the energy justice decision-making tool. In this paper, we suggest avenues to improve the deliberative dialogue process and conclude that centering due process as a core element of the energy justice decision-making tool can help to achieve energy justice. Our results contribute to the growing field of study on how deliberative dialogue can allow for better decisions in complex fields such as energy policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Dolter, Brett D. & Boucher, Martin, 2018. "Solar energy justice: A case-study analysis of Saskatchewan, Canada," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 221-232.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:225:y:2018:i:c:p:221-232
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.04.088
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Pellizzone, Anna & Allansdottir, Agnes & De Franco, Roberto & Muttoni, Giovanni & Manzella, Adele, 2017. "Geothermal energy and the public: A case study on deliberative citizens’ engagement in central Italy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 561-570.
    2. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Dworkin, Michael H., 2015. "Energy justice: Conceptual insights and practical applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 435-444.
    3. Marleen Kerkhof, 2006. "Making a difference: On the constraints of consensus building and the relevance of deliberation in stakeholder dialogues," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 39(3), pages 279-299, September.
    4. Benjamin K. Sovacool & Raphael J. Heffron & Darren McCauley & Andreas Goldthau, 2016. "Energy decisions reframed as justice and ethical concerns," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 1(5), pages 1-6, May.
    5. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Burke, Matthew & Baker, Lucy & Kotikalapudi, Chaitanya Kumar & Wlokas, Holle, 2017. "New frontiers and conceptual frameworks for energy justice," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 677-691.
    6. Kunta Yoshikawa & Hayato Kawasaki & Wataru Yoshida & Toru Irie & Katsunori Konishi & Kunihiro Nakano & Toshihiko Uto & Daisuke Adachi & Masanori Kanematsu & Hisashi Uzu & Kenji Yamamoto, 2017. "Silicon heterojunction solar cell with interdigitated back contacts for a photoconversion efficiency over 26%," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 2(5), pages 1-8, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Stewart, Fraser, 2021. "All for sun, sun for all: Can community energy help to overcome socioeconomic inequalities in low-carbon technology subsidies?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    2. Best, Rohan, 2022. "Energy inequity variation across contexts," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    3. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Barnacle, Max Lacey & Smith, Adrian & Brisbois, Marie Claire, 2022. "Towards improved solar energy justice: Exploring the complex inequities of household adoption of photovoltaic panels," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    4. Dolter, Brett, 2021. "Greening the Saskatchewan grid: A case study in deliberative energy modelling," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    5. Jayapalan, C. & Ganesh, L.S., 2019. "Environmentalists and their conflicts with Energy Justice – Concept of “Power-Environ” in the Athirappilly HEPP in Kerala," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 215-229.
    6. Shittu, Ekundayo & Weigelt, Carmen, 2022. "Accessibility in sustainability transitions: U.S. electric utilities’ deployment of solar," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).

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