Energy democracy

Energy democracy is a concept developed within the environmental justice movement that pairs the renewable energy transition with efforts to democratize the production and management of energy resources— including the social ownership of energy infrastructure, decentralization of energy systems, and expansion of public participation in energy-related policymaking. Energy democracy calls for greater participation in transitions and is being used in literature to describe an overall ongoing democratic transition.^[1] Energy democracy and climate justice are increasingly associated.^[2] Rather than view decarbonization as a purely technological challenge, energy democracy identifies the renewable energy transition as an opportunity to redistribute political and economic power toward egalitarian ends.^[3]

Energy democracy has been endorsed by community organizations, think tanks, labor unions, and NGOs as a framework for decarbonization.^[4] Energy Democracy began in western Europe between 2000 and 2010 and has become a worldwide practice and point of reference except Asia. ^[5] The concept is also associated with a number of campaigns in Europe and North America calling for the municipalization of energy companies and democratization of their governance structures.^[6][7]

In the United States, the term “energy democracy” has become more widespread as calls for it greatly increased in the 2010s. The American branch of energy democracy builds on the foundation of a 2017 “Energy Democracy Symposium” in Utah.^[1] The number of publications on energy democracy peaked in the US in 2018, which can be correlated to a growing social demand.^[1]