| Title | Power Relations and the Energy Transition: A Critical Review on Discourses, Ideologies and Perspectives for Sustainable Geothermal Energy Development in Valemount, BC |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nadine Naguib Suliman ABDELRAHMAN |
| Year | 2020 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | geothermal energy, power relations, community development, renewable energy, sustainable model, energy corporations, energy transition, equity, equality, new technology |
| Abstract | Geothermal energy is predicted to be most beneficial to rural communities where costs will be minimal and energy use will be direct, contributing to environmental sustainability while addressing equality and access to resources issues in many underprivileged parts of the world. Accordingly, geothermal energy is envisioned to have high potential for delivering renewable energy resources and supporting marginal regions through much-needed community development. Given the challenges in realizing this potential, this paper critically reviews the power relations within the energy sector, looking at control over resources, the accumulation of wealth, and the potential for structural transformation to a model of resource development that supports marginal regions and achieves community development. Specifically, we focus on several key questions. If the main driver of new technology/ development projects remains profit, how likely is it that geothermal energy will be developed to benefit rural and remote communities? What are the key challenges and mechanisms for supporting community development in this context? Adopting a critical discourse analysis approach, I examine relevant literature to identify dominant discourses that prevent sustainable energy development in rural communities. Through this research I seek to understand the cultural context of energy companies and their relationship to people and profit as well as social and environmental sustainability. This review is a preliminary stage of a participatory action research study on the potential for geothermal energy development in the Canadian Village of Valemount to incorporate sustainable, collaborative and inclusive resource development models. Furthermore, this study facilitates the development of a theory and concepts for understanding the sustainability of renewables and their projected impact on solving equity and equality issues worldwide. |