No abstract

The threats climate change poses require rapid and wide decarbonization efforts in the energy sector. Historically, large-scale energy operations, often instrumental for a scaled and effective approach to meet decarbonization goals, undergird energy-related injustices. Energy poverty is a multi-dimensional form of injustice, with relevance to low-carbon energy transitions. Defined as the condition of being unable to access an adequate level of household energy services, energy poverty persists despite the emergence of affordable renewable energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaics (PV). Historical injustices and the modularity of solar PV combine to offer new possibilities in ownership, production and distribution of cost-competitive, clean and collectively scalable energy. Consequently, emerging policy priorities for positive energy districts call into question the traditional large-scale modality of energy operations. We report from a case study of solar power in Lisbon, a frontrunner in urban energy transitions while also home to high energy poverty incidence. The study focuses on scalar aspects of justice in energy transitions to investigate whether and how solar PV can alleviate urban energy poverty. It features 2 months of fieldwork centered on community and expert perspectives, including semi-structured interviews and field observations. We mobilize a spatial energy justice framework to identify justice aspects of multi-scalar solar PV uptake. By showing how energy justice is shaped in diverse ways at different scales, we demonstrate ways in which scale matters for just urban energy transitions. We argue that small- and medium-scaled approaches to electricity distribution, an integral component of positive energy districts, can address specific justice concerns. However, even as such approaches gain attention and legitimacy, they risk structurally excluding socio-economically vulnerable users, and proceed slowly relative to large-scale solar rollout.

Solar energy rollout has environmental and socio-economic impacts vital for just low-carbon energy transitions. The modular characteristics of solar photovoltaics enable multi-scalar deployment. How do environmental and socio-economic impacts vary across scales? This understudied relationship impacts the socio-spatiality of solar rollout, who benefits, and how this is enabled. Our study in Portugal during 2017-2020 examines how solar energy went from subsidies to record-setting competitiveness. Most new solar capacity was large scale, with barriers for community energy that weakened in 2020. We draw on interviews with 80 experts and a small-scale questionnaire survey with solar energy cooperative members. Findings show largescale solar rollout primarily yielded environmental benefits, whereas small scale yielded socio-economic benefits. We argue that near-future joined-up solar energy policies can facilitate synergistic interactions across three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by integrating environmental and socio-economic impacts. This main contribution can inform Portuguese and wider energy policies for sectoral development toward sustainability.

The growing attention to the political goal of achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century reflects past failures to alter the trajectory of GHG emissions. As a consequence the world now needs to decarbonize all economic sectors at unprecedented pace. This commentary discusses how the net-zero challenge presents transition scholarship with four enhanced research challenges that merit more attention: 1) the speed, 2) breadth, and 3) depth of transitions as well as 4) tensions and interactions between these.