The Project

Transitions toward sustainable energy pathways have been examined by Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholars in the context of the widespread revealing of a decline of certainties in the construction of scientific knowledge and technological solutions. The experience of environmental disasters produced by negligent nuclear and fossil technologies also corroborates the urgency of materializing new forms of scalar politics to address different scenarios of Climate Change (IPCC) emerging from the deep problems of the current fossil economy.

For example, in Latin America the proposals for good living –Sumak Kawsay– in Ecuador, which assign rights to nature and future generations, open new and novel paths in the discussion of alternative transition processes. The debates on ecological debt, global governance, neo-extractivist interests and national governance of natural resources also each intersect with the challenges of energy transitions.

In Chile some major challenges come from the early privatization of the energy sector, energy dependence on foreign fossil fuels, along with the intensive extraction of minerals, particularly copper. The energy institutions of the country are entrenched in global market principles, which do not effectively account for these challenges. On the other hand, opportunities do exist for implementing cleaner and differently configured energy systems based on Renewable Energy Resources, which have the potential to be developed in a decentralized, democratic and smarter way. Typically these are either in urban areas and rural communities not in the most isolated communities.

In recent times the energetically isolated locations of Chile have received the attention of mining companies, in line with their declared Corporate Social Responsibility, mainly to electrify rural communities and thereby offset the environmental impact of their production. However, no work has been done in the study of Municipalities, which without being completely rural, have developed under electricity and energy isolation. This is the case of the Municipalities of Tortel and Melinka, which as living social laboratories have boosted and maintained their energy independence at the expense of momentum and strength.

General Objective:

By enriching the network “Isolated Energy Communities” (USACH)-IDEA-(OeAW)-ITA-LEC we propose to enhance the socio-material focus of energy developments by including the notion of “isolated energy communities” and present a multi-disciplinary analysis method to extract lessons for public policy to support small-scale alternative energy developments distributed and inserted into isolated communities. In particular, the network will focus on questions regarding technology transfer, participatory technology assessment, social learning, and reflexive governance.

Specific objectives:

1. Discuss and exchange research advances and theoretical and methodological issues in the field of distributed systems, energy communities and intelligent systems.
2. Enhance research in the centers involved in the network with regard to the social-material configuration of energy transitions, and apply these contributions to the field of social and political studies of science and technology.
3. Elaborate a multi-disciplinary theoretical focus which includes the notion of institutionally articulated energy practices for communities in isolated territories.
4. Provide a communicative strategy by an access-free portal in Spanish and English containing collections of documents and academic work about the subject.
5. Jointly explore alliances with other institutions to enable the network generated by this project to expand (For example, toward the Project transitions towards sustainable energy communities at SPRU of University of Sussex or the project SMART VILLAGES from the European Academies Science Advisory Council).

Expected results:

1. Institutionalize existing international contacts between the participating institutions in a network of joint research. (Signing of an Agreement).
2. Jointly construct a theoretical-methodological approach including free access isolated energy practices, to promote research in the area. (Work paper)
3. Share personal expertise and research advances and approaches to the subject, developed in Latin American and outside the region. (Website).
4. As a result, national and international academic productivity around the common theme of study, including Chile and Latin America in international studies of sustainable energy practices and add complexity to the understanding of recent Latin American context incorporating the variables of socioenvironmental conflicts with the local dynamics toward extractivism, will increase on both ends with greater presence of indexed articles. (Indexed publication).
5. Strengthen undergraduate master’s and doctorate teaching in the proposed subject, raising the level of related master’s and doctoral theses, linking them to the main lines of research in the area. (Modules in courses in Master’s and PhD programs).