Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Comparative Study of Community Engagement with Renewable Electricity Technology

这个博士论文研究项目探索了随着全球生产从化石燃料转向可再生能源，对能源的看法发生了变化。联合PI(即博士论文研究员)将研究政府、非政府组织、能源行业和媒体试图影响公众对社区价值观及其与当地可再生能源项目的关系的想象的过程。研究的重点是通过关于四个具体的社区太阳能项目的宣传材料介绍对社区和可再生能源的不同概念。这些项目位于意大利特雷维索和亚利桑那州弗拉格斯塔夫，这两个城市的太阳能发电系统正变得越来越普遍。联合PI将使用混合的定性方法分析这些想法是如何产生、传播和接受的，包括对能源行业、非政府组织和政府中的关键人物进行半结构化采访；对相关图像、文本和对象进行物质分析；以及与社区焦点小组接触。智力价值尽管能源生产和分配无处不在，但潜在的过程往往对消费者来说是看不见的。这项研究让那些直接参与教育公众有关社区可再生能源倡议的人参与进来。它研究有关可再生能源(在这种情况下，太阳能发电)的想法，这些想法通过广告、信息活动、政策机制、能源技术的可用性以及日常对话渗透到日常生活中。研究这一独特的空间对于理解公众、政策参与者、非政府组织、行业和媒体如何互动以创建关于社会和技术变革的共同公众理解至关重要。该项目将通过与公民的接触，使公众充分关注这一领域，从而推动该领域的发展。广泛影响这项研究的结果不仅将通过学术期刊(如能源政策、环境与规划和公共文化)传播，还将通过大众媒体渠道传播，如社区力量报告，共同PI是该报告的撰稿人。该研究还将向意大利和亚利桑那州的青年，包括在STEM领域任职人数不足的青年开展外联工作。最后，本研究对第一代女大学生的STEM生涯进行了展望。

Project OverviewThis doctoral dissertation research project explores changing ideas about energy as global production shifts from fossil fuels to renewable sources. The co-PI (that is, the doctoral dissertation researcher) will examine the processes by which governments, NGOs, energy industries, and the media seek to influence the public imagination with regards to community values and their relations with local renewable energy projects. The research focus is on the differing conceptions of community and renewable energy as presented through promotional material about four specific community solar projects. The projects are located in Treviso, Italy, and Flagstaff, Arizona, two cities where solar power systems are becoming increasingly common. The co-PI will analyze how these ideas are produced, circulated, and received using mixed qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews with key individuals in the energy industry, non-governmental organizations, and in government; material analysis of pertinent images, texts, and objects; and engagement with community focus groups.Intellectual Merit Despite the pervasiveness of energy production and distribution, the underlying processes often remains invisible to consumers. This research engages those directly involved in educating publics about community renewable energy initiatives. It studies the ideas about renewable energy (in this case, solar-generated electricity) that infiltrate everyday life through advertisements, informational campaigns, policy mechanisms, the availability of energy technologies, and in daily conversations. Researching this unique space is crucial for understanding how publics, policy actors, NGOs, industry, and media interact to create a shared public understanding about social and technological change. The project will push the field forward by giving public uptake and reception the full attention it deserves through engagement with citizens.Broader ImpactsThe results of this study will be disseminated not only through academic journals (like Energy Policy, Environment and Planning, and Public Culture), but also through popular media outlets such as the Community Power Report, to which the co-PI is a contributor. The research will also engage in outreach efforts to Italian and Arizonan youth including those with populations underrepresented in STEM fields. Finally, this dissertation research advances the STEM career of a female, first generation college student, the co-PI.