Collaborative Research: Anthropological Perspectives on Renewable Energy, Infrastructure, and Gender

可再生能源(那些在人类时间尺度上自然补充的能源)被誉为能源安全的解决方案，特别是对穷人来说。特别是，利用太阳能、风能和生物质技术在国家电网上和国家电网下提供电力的情况在全球范围内正在升级。能源的获取和使用不仅是一个技术问题，也是一个社会问题，创造了与连接和生产相关的机会和风险。虽然已经有大量关于碳基能源生产和使用的社会影响的研究，但我们对替代形式能源如何改变人们的生活、创造新的机会或风险以及影响个人和社区之间的关系的具体方式知之甚少。了解在家庭一级，特别是那些可能无法使用传统电气化形式的人如何看待和使用替代能源，是评估替代能源能否以及如何有助于更全面和更安全的能源选择组合的关键部分。这项研究的结果将阐明替代能源技术被纳入日常生活的方式和效果，并将为国家和国际能源政策提供信息，这些政策可以有针对性地满足社会最边缘化成员的需求。该项目还为学生提供严谨、科学的数据收集和分析方法方面的培训；通过培训来自代表性不足群体的学生和研究人员扩大对科学的参与；并通过国际科学合作改善科学基础设施。埃默里大学的克里斯汀·菲利普斯和佛罗里达新学院的埃林·迪恩博士将探讨采用新能源技术的好处和风险是否存在社会经济学差异的问题。这项研究将考察太阳能、风能和生物质能源技术对东非国家坦桑尼亚人民日常生活的影响。坦桑尼亚是进行此类研究的特别合适的地方，因为该国追求传统的碳能源发展，同时公共和私人来源对替代能源和可再生能源的投资显著增加。它为调查家庭一级的能源消耗提供了适当的实验室，90%的能源消耗发生在家庭一级)。研究人员每人都在坦桑尼亚工作了十多年，他们的国内研究背景在地理上是不同的，这为考虑在农村、城市、城市周边和岛屿环境下使用能源的不同方法提供了机会。由于现有文献倾向于忽视女性在能源生产和消费中的作用，因此能源劳动和使用的性别问题是本研究的一个重要焦点。考虑到性别和地理范围，该项目的研究核心将通过在三个不同地点的国内环境中的关键案例研究来进行。研究人员将使用有目的的抽样来识别使用一系列能源技术的不同社会经济家庭。他们将使用观察、访谈和焦点小组的方法，调查可再生能源发展的社会经济层面。研究人员还将采访公共和私营部门的能源专家、倡导者、供应商、政策制定者、投资者和技术人员。该项目的发现将对关于能源开采优化的科学讨论、不平等理论以及关于基础设施的辩论做出重要贡献。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Renewable forms of energy (those energies naturally replenished on a human timescale) have been hailed as solutions to energy security, especially for the poor. In particular, the use of solar, wind, and biomass technologies to provide electricity both on and off national grids is escalating worldwide. Energy access and use is not just a technological issue but also a social one, creating opportunities and risks related to connection and production. While there has been significant research on the social effects of carbon-based energy production and use, we know less about the specific ways alternative forms of energy transform peoples' lives, create new opportunities or risk, and affect relationships between individuals and communities. Understanding how alternative forms of energy are perceived and used at the household level, especially by those who may not have access to traditional forms of electrification, is a crucial part of assessing whether and how alternative energy sources can contribute to a more comprehensive and secure portfolio of energy options. Findings from this research will illuminate the ways alternative energy technologies are incorporated into daily life and to what effect, and will inform national and international energy policies that can be targeted toward meeting the needs of the most marginalized members of society. The project also provides training for students in methods of rigorous, scientific data collection and analysis; broadens participation in the sciences through the training of students and researchers from underrepresented groups; and it improves scientific infrastructure through international scientific collaboration.Dr. Kristin Phillips of Emory University and Dr. Erin Dean of the New College of Florida will explore the question of whether the benefits and risks associated with the adoption of new energy technologies are socioeconomically differentiated. This research will examine the impact of solar, wind, and biomass energy technologies on the everyday lives of people in the East African nation of Tanzania. Tanzania is a particularly appropriate place for such a study because the state's pursuit of traditional carbon energy development has been coupled with a notable rise in alternative, renewable energy investment by public and private sources. It provides an appropriate laboratory for investigating energy consumption at the household level, where 90% of energy consumption takes place). The researchers have each worked for over a decade in Tanzania, and their in-country research background is geographically diverse, providing the opportunity to consider different approaches to energy use in rural, urban, peri-urban, and island contexts. Because the existing literature tends to overlook the role of women in energy production and consumption, gendered energy labor and use is an important focus of this research. With gender and geographic range in mind, the core of the research for this project will be conducted through critical case studies in domestic settings in three diverse sites. The researchers will use purposive sampling to identify socioeconomically diverse households who are using a range of energy technologies. Using the methods of observation, interviews, and focus groups, they will investigate the socioeconomic dimensions of renewable energy development. The researchers will also conduct interviews with energy experts, advocates, suppliers, policymakers, investors, and technicians in the public and private sector. Findings from the project will make important contributions to scientific discussions about the optimization of energy extraction, theories of inequality, and debates about infrastructure.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.