The main squeeze: Feminist Energy Systems
Feminist Energy Systems as a method for an Equity Centered Approach to Renewable Energy Power Production
Have you heard of Feminist Energy Systems? If you haven’t, think of it beyond gender, as “feminist energy aims to transform energy (and sociopolitical) regimes into communally designed, owned, and managed systems.”(1) A feminist perspective on energy provides an important framework for understanding energy through an expertise in the study of power dynamics and proposing how systems could be restructured across political, economic, socio-ecological, and technological dimensions.
In order to best understand the relevance and applicability of this Feminist Energy Systems (FES) theory, we will highlight an excerpt from work done by our energy justice friends and sector professionals- Layla Kilolu, Sebastien Selarque, and Ryan Neville, aka Team Nēnē. Their graduate level, community-based research centered on FES' alternative methods and frameworks for “evaluating potential energy projects that could be incorporated in the procurement process to holistically evaluate projects, increase community representation, support Hawaiian culture, and ultimately build engagement in the procurement process.”
Team Nēnē explored grievances that local and Indigenous groups have experienced with energy production across the pae āina with an emphasis on transitioning to renewable energy. Importantly, their research was put to the test in collaboration with our local energy justice revolutionary friends at Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Moloka (HECM)! Together they developed a resource that helps the island of Molokaʻi establish a more equitable energy future rooted in producing locally owned, affordable, renewable energy for the benefit of their members, the community, and environment. (2)
The following is a substantive excerpt from their final report- “Developing a Holistic Planning Tool with Ho’āhu Energy Cooperative Molokai- A Comprehensive Approach to Integrating Renewable Power Production.” The portion chosen highlights the dimensions of Feminist Energy System theory that were used as a guiding framework in Team Nēne’s work.
EXCERPT:
Research Framework
With the understanding that the current Request For Proposal process has shortcomings that lead to feelings of exclusion and inequitable outcomes, the authors rely on a feminist energy systems (FES) framework to advance an approach to energy procurement that is sensitive to community values and mindful of the impacts of energy inequities.
Traditional energy procurement processes have led to critical oversights that have contributed to energy injustices and the degradation of the relationship between communities (electricity consumers) with electric utilities and governmental groups (such as the Office of Energy and Public Utilities Commission). The incorporation of, or transition to, Feminist Energy Systems is one possibility for achieving four concurrent goals:
Energy Equity
Community Capacity & Resilience
Energy Justice
Energy Landscape Decarbonization & GHG Emission Reductions
The dimensions of a Feminist Energy System, as defined by Bell et al. (2020), explores four key lenses through which an energy system should by analyzed in order to achieve these objectives. These dimensions - (1) political, (2) economic, (3) socio-ecological, and (4) technological -express an understanding that energy systems exist within a multifaceted environment of societal issues.
A transdisciplinary approach is needed in order to broaden siloed, discipline-specific worldviews (Waitt, 2018). In addition to bridging social sciences with natural sciences, FES highlights the significance of analyzing situated knowledge and alternative epistemologies to Western Science. Through these broadened considerations, renewable energy projects may be better understood as they exist at the nexus of intersecting systems of local economies, natural resource management, public and ecological health, cultural identity and practices, social equity, and technological progress.
Tenets of Feminist Energy Systems
Political
FES holds a vision that sociopolitical regimes must evolve alongside energy regimes to be increasingly community co-designed, owned, and managed. This feminist approach to energy systems goes beyond the consideration of the immediate business and operations of energy-sector resources and services management. This approach is informed by intersecting modes of oppression including gender, race, class, Indigeneity, and colonial history (Bell et al. 2020).
This is important to note because the fossil fuel industry along with other energy development actors have a long and troubling history of unsustainable extraction of natural resources and unjust exploitation of marginalized peoples. The history of energy development, especially in the United States, is also notable for concentrating wealth and decision-making power within the electric utilities regulated natural monopoly business structure. In addition to the implications this has had for the centralized design of electric power systems, this structure undercuts the provision of electricity - a resource increasingly considered to be a human right - via profit-driven agendas. This market-based approach continues with the deployment of renewable energy. Understandably, this has meant many renewable energy projects have received similar criticism to their fossil fuel-burning counterparts for threatening communities’ health, economies, socio-ecological zones & cultural values.
FES recognizes that a clean energy landscape does not imply equitable, just, or democratic systems. The destabilization of the global climatic system implores humanity to decarbonize, however FES posits that advancing public, democratic ownership of electric power systems is the most credible approach for securing energy equity and sustainable emission reductions. FES holds a vision that sociopolitical regimes must evolve alongside energy regimes to be increasingly community co-designed, owned, and managed. This fosters the concept of an energy democracy, where democratic control over electric power systems promotes community control over energy generation and distribution (Van Veelen et al. 2018). Ultimately, this will allow nations to meet sustainable development goals alongside human rights goals through the refinement of their systems of governance and the delegation of power to specialists - the leaders and political entrepreneurs of marginalized communities (Buechler et al. 2020).
In his 2018 paper titled “Reform Incentives, Transform the Grid: Making Good on Hawaiʻi's Renewable Energy Ambitions,” researcher Tyler McNish asserts that despite Hawaii's potential for an aggressive shift towards renewable energy caused by high imported fossil fuel costs, economic feasibility, and political popularity, the incentive structure for the State of Hawaiʻi's electric industry is inherently flawed. One of McNish’s main arguments is for reorganizing the ownership of the utilities as either customer-owned (cooperative utility) or voter-owned (municipal utility). These arrangements have offered rates on average 2-10 percent below the rates of privately owned utilities over a period of nearly a century. (3) Additionally, cooperatives are service focused. They follow democratic processes that allow members to vote in board member elections, participate in policy making, and influence the company in sharing their ideas and concerns. Lastly, cooperatives focus on educating their electorate and create a culture of energy consciousness within communities.
Economic
Under the FES framework, the traditional framing of energy consumption where only economic growth based on intensive energy consumption produces well-being is replaced by a vision of a thriving community under an alternative energy system. An overarching concern that the FES framework emphasizes is the need to change perceptions around the usage of energy, from one of growth, which erroneously assumes infinite resources, to one of “degrowth,” which is aware of the reality of the planet’s finite resources. As developing more renewable energy infrastructure could be used to justify more consumption of energy, a more sustainable mindset is needed where energy consumption is reduced, and energy systems are made more efficient so that overall consumption decreases.
This FES economic perspective includes the resistance of using the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of a community’s well-being because “levels of inequality, poverty, health, pollution, land degradation, and educational attainment are not reflected in these calculations” (Bell, et al, at 5). Further, the traditional energy labor system that promotes a “mono-economy” such as coal plants are renounced, as declining jobs in these areas can leave people in these communities even more vulnerable. Exploring other economic models such as a universal basic income, reorganizing work schedules, and valuing “pink collar jobs” such as caregiving, teaching, and art, that in the patriarchal energy system have been underappreciated and considered “free labor.” While there is a need to reduce wasteful and trivial kinds of commodity consumption, the focus of a new economy in feminist energy systems is not on what is being lost, but what can be increased as a result, such as free time, justice, dignity, artisanship, and meaningful interactions with each other.
Socio-ecological
The socio-ecological dimension of the FES framework is concerned with the intersectional reality of social injustices and biases with the development and ongoing management of energy systems. This is most clearly seen via the growing record of cases in which traditional, fossil-fuel energy system infrastructure (i.e., power plants and pipelines) impose a disproportionate burden on marginalized communities. However, the observation that the adoption of medium- and large-scale renewable energy generation projects are having a similar imposition on similar, underserved communities speaks to a problem that is not technological, rather systemic to how energy, in general, is managed.
By improving the transparency of energy resource life cycle assessments and the accountability of key energy-sector actors, this framework aims to mitigate unintended environmental injustices and equip decision-makers with a more informed perspective on the energy challenges their communities face. The call for a more holistic process for energy development is complemented by a trend of community-based management plans emphasizing unique community values, spirituality, and cultural practices (Pascua et al., 2017). This is especially the case in Hawaiʻi, where Indigenous (along with other diverse cultural) values often conflict with Western management systems.
Technological
At the heart of electric power systems is the technology that physically enables electricity to be generated, managed, and delivered. Power systems technology is normally thought of as being inanimate, amoral, and politically neutral - simply a tool to be used. FES dispels this notion by calling attention to how technologies are financed, designed, manufactured, and implemented. Throughout a given technologies lifecycle, a product interacts with human systems that are implicitly biased, and these technologies have the ability to enhance or diminish the quality of lives that they allegedly service.
Improved systemic transparency at all levels are needed, including how involved technologies are sourced and what externalities may be associated with that technology. Industrial ecologists who argue that sustainable systems cannot exist at a level smaller than the global level would note that the cheap cost of some clean technologies are attributable to the hazardous, oppressive, and unregulated sourcing and manufacturing practices of countries in the Global South.
FES aims to support ‘practical technologies’ that endeavor to meet a variety of energy needs felt by a community. Thankfully many modern and trailblazing technologies lend themselves nicely to the advancement of FES tenets. Smart grid technologies are now being designed not simply to decarbonize and digitize power systems, but also to decentralize and democratize them. The implementation of virtual power plants is a prime example of this. Asset aggregators can utilize behind-the-meter (BTM) distributed energy resources (DER) to virtually simulate a power plant that can participate in both the bulk energy market and the ancillary grid services market (Obi, 2020). This introduces possible novel revenue streams for electricity consumers who can be paid for modifying their electricity intake and/or output. Commonly this is achieved through customer-owned roof-top photovoltaic panels coupled with a battery energy storage system (BESS), but may also take advantage of the battery in an electric vehicle or the energy consumption behavior of grid-interactive appliances (i.e., water heaters, HVAC, refrigerators) (Pudjianto et al., 2007). People who are capable of producing and consuming energy on their own terms (often referred to as prosumers) have a greater degree of autonomy and agency. It should be noted that there remain notable financial obstacles for owning such technologies and the act of distancing oneself from the grid imposes burdens on those who continue to rely on the grid (Coffman, 2016).
Another set of technologies that are well aligned with the ideals of a FES are those that advance energy efficiency. From smart building automation systems to smart home systems, these energy efficiency technologies, if programmed correctly, would allow for an appropriate degrowth in energy resource consumption and potential relief from energy burdens. Alone, or even in simple combination, these technologies continue to fall short in providing communities with the plurality of viable energy solutions to sophisticated and multifaceted issues. It is in response to this, that FES places an emphasis on community-directed and co-designed project planning.
The appropriateness and, consequently, the implementation of popular solutions such as microgrids and/or community-based renewable energy projects are therefore better tailored to sustainably meet energy customer requirements. A heterogeneous environment of small and medium-scale DER will require advances in state-of-the-art energy systems management technologies. Investment in this area is essential for establishing not just equitable, affordable, reliable, and clean energy, but also for establishing energy systems that are resilient against natural disasters and other climate change-driven threats.
END EXCERPT: Read the full report and how FES theory was used to solve procurement issues on Molokai!
(1) Bell, Shannon Elizabeth, Cara Daggett, and Christine Labuski. "Toward feminist energy systems: Why adding women and solar panels is not enough." Energy Research & Social Science 68 (2020): 101557.
(2) Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative Molokai website: https://hoahuenergy.coop/