Putting Research to Action: Integrating Collaborative Governance and Community-Engaged Research for Community Solar
Community solar involves the installation of a solar electricity system that is built in one central location with the costs and benefits distributed across voluntary investors who choose to subscribe and receive credits based on the generated energy. Community solar is gaining attention because of...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/1/11 |
| _version_ | 1817978697548824576 |
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| author | Emily Prehoda Richelle Winkler Chelsea Schelly |
| author_facet | Emily Prehoda Richelle Winkler Chelsea Schelly |
| author_sort | Emily Prehoda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Community solar involves the installation of a solar electricity system that is built in one central location with the costs and benefits distributed across voluntary investors who choose to subscribe and receive credits based on the generated energy. Community solar is gaining attention because of its potential to increase access to renewable energy and to democratize energy governance. This paper reflects on community-engaged research experiences in two rural community case studies in Michigan, USA, focusing on obstacles that were experienced during the research process rather than empirical findings from the research. We highlight difficulties we experienced to help advance a conceptual argument about incorporating collaborative governance strategies to improve community-engaged research for community energy projects. Our reflections illustrate challenges in community-engaged research that are associated with identifying who should be included in the decision-making process, sustaining participation and avoiding exploitation, establishing and communicating final decision-making power, and giving attention to outputs and outcomes of the research. We argue that collaborative governance strategies can help to address these challenges, as we experienced firsthand in our project. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T22:33:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-827ed2eecc9c4cc583a001a83618588d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T22:33:33Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-827ed2eecc9c4cc583a001a83618588d2022-12-22T02:26:51ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602019-01-01811110.3390/socsci8010011socsci8010011Putting Research to Action: Integrating Collaborative Governance and Community-Engaged Research for Community SolarEmily Prehoda0Richelle Winkler1Chelsea Schelly2Department of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University, 1700 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USADepartment of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University, 1700 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USADepartment of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University, 1700 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931, USACommunity solar involves the installation of a solar electricity system that is built in one central location with the costs and benefits distributed across voluntary investors who choose to subscribe and receive credits based on the generated energy. Community solar is gaining attention because of its potential to increase access to renewable energy and to democratize energy governance. This paper reflects on community-engaged research experiences in two rural community case studies in Michigan, USA, focusing on obstacles that were experienced during the research process rather than empirical findings from the research. We highlight difficulties we experienced to help advance a conceptual argument about incorporating collaborative governance strategies to improve community-engaged research for community energy projects. Our reflections illustrate challenges in community-engaged research that are associated with identifying who should be included in the decision-making process, sustaining participation and avoiding exploitation, establishing and communicating final decision-making power, and giving attention to outputs and outcomes of the research. We argue that collaborative governance strategies can help to address these challenges, as we experienced firsthand in our project.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/1/11community solarcommunity engaged researchcollaborative governancedisadvantaged |
| spellingShingle | Emily Prehoda Richelle Winkler Chelsea Schelly Putting Research to Action: Integrating Collaborative Governance and Community-Engaged Research for Community Solar Social Sciences community solar community engaged research collaborative governance disadvantaged |
| title | Putting Research to Action: Integrating Collaborative Governance and Community-Engaged Research for Community Solar |
| title_full | Putting Research to Action: Integrating Collaborative Governance and Community-Engaged Research for Community Solar |
| title_fullStr | Putting Research to Action: Integrating Collaborative Governance and Community-Engaged Research for Community Solar |
| title_full_unstemmed | Putting Research to Action: Integrating Collaborative Governance and Community-Engaged Research for Community Solar |
| title_short | Putting Research to Action: Integrating Collaborative Governance and Community-Engaged Research for Community Solar |
| title_sort | putting research to action integrating collaborative governance and community engaged research for community solar |
| topic | community solar community engaged research collaborative governance disadvantaged |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/1/11 |
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