Break, bridge or bolster? Participatory energy initiatives between frames and futures of local sustainability

Abstract

Local energy transition is a complex technological and sociopolitical undertaking of negotiation and reconfiguration. Participation is thus often deemed key for its success, particularly in terms of energy democracy and just transition objectives. We argue that cognitive place-based framings and aspirations of future local development significantly feed into participatory interventions, possibly jeopardizing their potential for energy justice. Looking into 6 participatory local energy transition initiatives in Austria, we sketch how place-based problematizations and future aspirations influenced these interventions. We recognize idealistic, pragmatic, and reproductive strategies of participation as different approaches to addressing frames and futures in local transitions. We conclude by calling for transition scholars to engage more with the reproductive potential and dark sides of participation, and to take local frames and futures seriously as influential factors in the politics of local transformations.