2026/01/01 by Emily K. Gray, Melanie Rohse, Frances Fahy +4 · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Environmental Science · #Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy #Sustainability and Climate Change Governance #Water Governance and Infrastructure
paper · doi:10.1002/geo2.70085
openalex publication_date 2026/01/01 · openalex created_date 2026/05/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
ABSTRACT Ensuring greater fairness within energy systems requires that participation in energy be recognised, supported and expanded. The concept of ‘ecologies of participation’ emphasises the ongoing relational, dynamic, varied and co‐produced nature in which people participate in energy, in structured processes as well as everyday activities. In this article, we explore how the participatory futuring practice of community visioning can both reveal ecologies of participation in energy and energy transitions, as well as inform how we understand and shape fairer energy geographies. We compare three case studies of community visioning for energy transitions in Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom, which draw on 40 interviews with visioning workshop participants, facilitators and organisers and participant observation field notes from the visioning workshops. The article's unique contribution is to show how participatory practices like community visioning, through eliciting diverse views of and visions for energy, supporting participants' direct engagement with the tensions and politics surrounding energy and introducing new practices of participation, can help shape place, space and society in fairer ways.