Putting visions in their place: Responsible research and innovation for energy system decarbonization

Decarbonizing energy systems is an ambitious sociotechnical project, and will have significant implications for social justice, given the increasing dependence of societies globally on energy services. Eliciting non-expert values and perspectives to help reflect on the desirability of visions of socio-technical change has long been promoted within RRI. However, RRI has focused on specific technological proposals and visions, and not encompassed socio-technical systems. Decarbonizing energy requires systemic change involving socio-technical configurations that will vary depending upon geographical constraints and community needs in their host locations. Our case study from Wales, UK shows how findings from interpretative risk research and scholarship on energy and everyday life can help design upstream participatory processes that address simultaneously systems, effects on place, and everyday life. Engaging community residents through community mapping explores these dimensions of energy transition, enriching and enlarging understandings of both local and systemic aspects of the energy transition.