Transforming transitions: The energy futures of community-driven design

A vision for the future in which the same level of energy demand is met with renewable generation rather than fossil fuels underlies technical renewable energy research. That is even as GHG emissions continue to rise, and some new renewable energy developments perpetuate existing injustices. If renewable energy transitions are to promote social and ecological justice, they need to become part of broader transformational change. While matters of social change tend to be considered outside the scope of technical research, we argue that should not be the case. Technical researchers and designers can promote transformational change through practices, technologies, and modes of communication. However, doing so will require new approaches with visions of more just and sustainable futures. In this paper, we present an examination of one alternative approach, called Community-Driven Design (CDD), which we previously adapted and tested during a study of wave energy in Sitka, AK. We identify the values embedded in CDD principles, among them, individual experience, grassroots power and sufficiency. Design approaches make certain futures possible, and by adopting new approaches, technical researcher in renewable energy can begin to practice more just and sustainable futures. Evidence from our implementation of CDD exposes its capabilities for transformational change.