Doctoral Dissertation Research in DRMS: A Case Study of Enhanced Geothermal Systems: The Interaction of Imaginaries of Place and Energy for Renewable Energy Transitions

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).Strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change include developing low-carbon energy sources for heating and power, but transitioning to renewable energy systems requires understanding the social and cultural factors that affect whether energy projects are successful. This study aims to understand how people react to an emerging form of renewable energy technology called Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), and to identify the main factors that lead to people supporting or opposing EGS projects. The researcher analyzes four EGS projects, focusing on concepts related to risks and benefits, public engagement, visions of the future, past experiences, and local histories, in order to better understand how responses to renewable energy development are influenced not only by the technology and institutions involved but also by the context that the project takes place in. This research aims to provide valuable insight for addressing climate change, through enhancing understanding of drivers of renewable energy acceptance and providing evidence-based guidance on risk communication and effective public engagement. In an international case study of EGS developments, we aim to understand generalizable factors that lead to support or opposition, context-specific factors related to place and visions of energy futures, and the role of communication and stakeholder engagement. The project consists of a comparison between multiple cases of EGS sites at various stages of development: 1. Ithaca, NY; 2. Espoo, Finland; 3. Redruth, England; and 4. Basel, Switzerland, where an EGS project was canceled following increased seismicity in 2006. Data collection methods include interviews with key stakeholders, textual analysis of media coverage, public relations materials, and policy documents, and observation of meetings and events. The aim is to understand how each project has unfolded over time; how such concepts as sociotechnical imaginaries, place, and legacies of energy and earthquakes are present in public negotiations around the acceptability of EGS and its risks; and how these factors have influenced public attitudes and subsequent project outcomes. While much research has focused on public responses to a particular energy project or technology, this research extends the literature on energy acceptance by considering the role of both place and energy imaginaries, at multiple scales, as they interact within a local context for a given energy project. Previous research has used socio-technical imaginaries – collectively-held visions of desirable futures and the desired role of technology – to understand trajectories of energy development at regional and national levels, and a growing body of literature has explored the influence of place attachment on local differences in acceptance of energy projects. However, interactions between these potentially competing visions of energy and place and the implications for acceptance of renewable energy have not been investigated; this research provides insight for addressing climate change, through enhancing understanding of drivers of renewable energy acceptance and providing empirically informed guidance on risk communication and effective public engagement.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.