Palm Jenny, Ambrose Aimee
P.O Box 196, 221 00 Lund, Sweden International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE), Lund University.
Unit 10, Science Park, Howard Street, Sheffield, S1 1WB UK Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR), Sheffield Hallam University.
Energy Sustain Soc. 2023;13(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s13705-023-00393-5. Epub 2023 May 15.
Energy citizenship has emerged as a concept which attempts to capture the new role envisaged for urban citizens as engaged and active in the energy transition. However, exactly how to successfully engage energy citizens requires more research and this article aims to contribute to this knowledge gap. The article presents a new methodology, 'Walking with Energy', which seeks to (re)connect citizens with where their energy is coming from. By experimenting with the application of this method in the UK and Sweden, we consider how viewing and talking about heating provision, while in the energy landscape, can encourage participants to reflect upon their local, mundane energy experiences and foster a greater sense of energy citizenship and greater motivation to engage with debates around heating transition.
The article presents four different events: (1) a physical walk to an energy recovery facility, (2) a walk to view a building's heat exchanger, (3) a round-table discussion using pictures to communicate in a language café, and (4) a virtual tour around an Energy Recovery Facility. The way we conducted the events influenced who engaged, for example: the walk through a heat facility and the walk to visit a heat exchanger in the basement of a University building tended to attract white middle-class people, while the virtual tour attracted a more mixed audience in terms of age and background, but most had a strong environmental interest. The language café targeted immigrants. The different events resulted in many similar reflections, but there was also variation. For example, the walk through the heat facility generated the most focused and least diverse reflections, while the event focussed on the heat exchanger opened up a wide range of issues for discussion.
We find that the method encouraged the sharing of personal experiences, storytelling, and deepened the engagement of participants with debates about energy. The method can help promote energy democracy and boost a deliberative dialogue about present and future energy systems among citizens. We also learnt that promotion of energy citizenship requires not only active citizens but also active facilitation to create opportunities for citizens to engage and reflect.
能源公民身份已成为一个概念，它试图体现城市公民在能源转型中所设想的积极参与的新角色。然而，究竟如何成功地让公民参与能源事务仍需要更多研究，本文旨在填补这一知识空白。本文提出了一种新方法——“与能源同行”，旨在让公民重新与他们的能源来源建立联系。通过在英国和瑞典对该方法的应用进行试验，我们探讨了在能源环境中观察和谈论供暖供应如何能鼓励参与者反思他们当地平凡的能源体验，增强能源公民意识，并激发他们参与供暖转型相关辩论的更大动力。
本文介绍了四个不同的活动：（1）前往能源回收设施的实地步行；（2）参观建筑物热交换器的步行；（3）在语言咖啡馆中使用图片进行交流的圆桌讨论；（4）能源回收设施的虚拟参观。我们开展活动的方式影响了参与人员，例如：参观热力设施的步行活动和参观大学建筑地下室热交换器的步行活动往往吸引白人中产阶级，而虚拟参观吸引了年龄和背景更加多样化的观众，但大多数人对环境有着浓厚兴趣。语言咖啡馆则面向移民群体。不同的活动引发了许多相似思考，但也存在差异。例如，参观热力设施的步行活动引发的思考最为集中且多样性最少，而聚焦于热交换器的活动则开启了广泛的讨论话题。
我们发现该方法鼓励了个人经验的分享、故事讲述，并加深了参与者对能源辩论的参与度。该方法有助于促进能源民主，并推动公民之间就当前和未来能源系统展开协商对话。我们还了解到，促进能源公民身份不仅需要积极的公民，还需要积极的引导，为公民创造参与和反思的机会。
