Making the most of community energies: Three perspectives on grassroots innovation

Environment and Planning A - Tập 48 Số 2 - Trang 407-432 - 2016
Adrian Smith1, Tom Hargreaves2, Sabine Hielscher1, Mari Martiskainen1, Gill Seyfang2
1University of Sussex, UK
2University of East Anglia, UK

Tóm tắt

Grassroots innovations for sustainability are attracting increasing policy attention. Drawing upon a wide range of empirical research into community energy in the UK, and taking recent support from national government as a case study, we apply three distinct analytical perspectives: strategic niche management, niche policy advocacy, and critical niches. Whilst the first and second perspectives appear to explain policy influence in grassroots innovation adequately, each also shuts out more transformational possibilities. We therefore argue that, if grassroots innovation is to realise its full potential, then we need to also pursue a third, critical niches perspective, and open up debate about more socially transformative pathways to sustainability.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Abramsky K, 2010, Sparking a Worldwide Energy Revolution

10.3351/ppp.0008.0003.0004

10.1504/JDR.2007.015563

Databuild Research & Solutions, 2013, Community Energy in the UK – Part 2

Department of Energy and Climate Change, 2014, Community Energy Strategy: Full Report

10.3351/ppp.0008.0003.0001

Ely A, Smith A, Stirling A, Leach M and Ian S (2013) Innovation politics post-Rio+20: Hybrid pathways to sustainability? Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 31(6), pp.1063–1081.

Feenberg A, 2002, Transforming Technology: A Critical Theory Revisited, 2, 10.1093/oso/9780195146158.001.0001

10.1177/1077800405284363

10.1016/j.techfore.2010.04.002

10.1080/2157930X.2014.921354

10.1080/09537320600777143

10.1016/S0016-3287(03)00053-3

10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.02.008

Hertz G, 2012, Critical Making

10.7551/mitpress/1206.001.0001

Hielscher S, Seyfang G and Smith A (2012) Grassroots innovation for sustainable energy: Exploring niche development processes among community energy initiatives. In Brown H, Cohen M and Vergragt P (eds) Sustainable Lifestyles in a New Economy: Ecological Macroeconomics, Socio-technical Transitions, and Social Practice. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Hielscher S, 2013, Carbon Rationing Action Groups: An Innovation History

10.1080/15710882.2011.630474

Hoogma R, 2002, Experimenting for Sustainable Transport: The Approach of Strategic Niche Management

10.3351/ppp.0008.0003.0002

Jorgensen U, 1995, Managing Technology in Society: The Approach of Constructive Technology Assessment

Kemp R, 2001, Path Dependence and Creation, 269

10.1080/09537329808524310

Light A, 2014, DIY Citizenship: Critical Making and Social Media, 259, 10.7551/mitpress/9568.003.0024

10.1080/13563460500344419

10.1016/S0016-7185(99)00039-1

Murphy J and Smith A (2013) Understanding transition-periphery dynamics: renewable energy in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Environment and Planning A, 45(3), pp.691–709.

10.1787/9789264229488-en

10.1080/13549839.2012.678321

10.3351/ppp.0008.0003.0008

10.1080/01972243.2011.583819

Raven R, 2015, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions

Roberts S (2014) DECC’s community energy strategy. Centre for Sustainable Energy. Available at: http://www.cse.org.uk/news/view/1801, Accessed May 2014.

10.1080/09537320802292651

10.1016/j.eist.2014.04.004

Seyfang G, Hielscher S, Hargreaves T et al. (2014) A grassroots sustainable energy niche? Reflections from community energy case studies. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, in press.

10.1016/j.enpol.2013.06.030

10.1080/09644010701419121

10.1016/j.energy.2006.04.010

10.1068/a39310

10.1177/0263276414536746

10.1080/09537320701403334

Smith A, 2015, The Politics of Green Transformations, 102, 10.4324/9781315747378-7

Smith A, Fressoli M and Thomas H (2013a) Grassroots innovation movements: Contributions and challenges. Journal of Cleaner Production, 63: 1–11.

10.1080/09644010802624835

Smith A, 2013, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 81, 115–130

10.1016/j.respol.2011.12.012

10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.07.003

10.1080/15239080701622873

Strachan P, Cowell R, Ellis G et al. (2015) Promoting community renewable energy in a corporate energy world. Sustainable Development, p.n/a–n/a, 32(2): 96–109.

The Corner House, 2013, Energy Alternatives

10.1016/j.enpol.2008.09.032

10.1016/j.enpol.2007.10.019

10.1016/j.enpol.2009.05.055

10.1162/glep.2007.7.2.64

Wilkie A, Michael M and Plummer-Fernandez M (2014) Speculative method and Twitter: Bots, energy and three conceptual characters. The Sociological Review, online ear, p.n/a–n/a, NB: 2015, 63(1): 79–101.

10.1596/978-0-8213-9551-6