Apologies for Cross posting

 

Dear All,

 

This call is for research papers for the session titled "(em)Powering Communities: the path to forging a new energy landscape?" at the 7th EUGEO Congress on the Geography of Europe being held in Galway, Ireland from the 15th to 18th May ,2019. Focusing on the centrality of the concepts of society and landscape within Energy Geography this session aims to bring together papers that address, connect and expand geographical research on energy infrastructures and communities and their geographical, social, cultural and institutional situatedness

 

Conference details are available here: https://www.eugeo2019.eu/

 

Please submit your abstract to [log in to unmask] by January 21^st and the last online submission date is the 1st of February.

Please note that participants must have completed registration prior to submitting an abstract.

I look forward to hearing from you

 

Best wishes,

 

Eimear Heaslip

National University of Ireland, Galway

 

 

 

Session Title: (em)Powering Communities: the path to forging a new energy landscape?

Session Convenor: Eimear Heaslip, National University of Ireland, Galway

 

Email: [log in to unmask]

 

This conference focuses on the theme of “Re-Imagining Europe's Future Society and Landscapes” which is a recurrent topic in energy planning nationally and globally. Focusing on the centrality of the concepts of society and landscape within Energy Geography this session aims to bring together papers that address, connect and expand geographical research on energy infrastructures and communities and their geographical, social, cultural and institutional situatedness. Every part of the energy sector is experiencing rapid change and current energy infrastructures, which are predominantly centralised and fossil fuel based, are in transition to decentralised community and individual modes of energy provision and conservation. This transition in energy provision requires social, cultural and institutional shifts in perceptions, consumption, control and ownership of energy to utilise several modes of renewable energy simultaneously. Furthermore, at the community level, there are different understandings of, and attitudes to, sustainability and energy use and current habits of categorising communities’ energy needs by technology experts’ standards creates an energy planning environment oblivious to the needs of communities. Prevailing practices promoting and recognising expert knowledge over local knowledge fosters a community engagement process that is inattentive and indifferent to the distinctive and divergent needs of communities at local level. Predominant technical approaches to community energy planning are further marginalising communities where, typically, local knowledge is highly valued.
For this proposed session, empirically-based and theoretically-informed papers are invited that critically examine the social, political and cultural dynamics of energy communities. Papers may address (but are not limited to) themes such as:

• Community energy transitions
• Community Wind Farms
• Energy consumption reduction initiatives
• Innovative community and household energy interventions
• Local and community ownership and governance of renewables
• Energy practices and Energy Cultures
• Collaborative Energy Planning
• Good practice cases which reflect the drivers of community energy transitions

Please send your abstracts (maximum 250 words) to Eimear Heaslip ([log in to unmask]) by January 21^st 2019.  

 

 

Eimear Heaslip
ENERGISE Postdoctoral Researcher
School of Geography and Archaeology
National University of Ireland, Galway
University Road Galway City, Ireland
 
Ollscoil na hÉireann Gaillimh
Bóthar na hOllscoile, Gaillimh, Éire
 
email: [log in to unmask]

phone: +353 91 492 171 

twitter: @ENERGISEproject