How does your research relate to fairness and a just energy transition? An exploratory and creative workshop

What do we mean by a ‘just’ transition? Which values underpin your research and how do they relate to fairness? How might we visualise this in a creative way? 

The Fair Energy Consortium is inviting researchers on energy transitions to reimagine and explore their work from a fairness perspective. Much of our work on energy transitions is driven by values yet these values are not always made explicit and as attention surrounding fair and just transitions increases, it is ever more important to explore the values underpinning our own work and research.  

This workshop provides the opportunity to reflect on and establish which values underpin our own work and the implications this has on how we seek to shape future energy transitions. Participants will be invited to join a collaborative group exercise imaging energy utopias and dystopias by asking which aspects of their research capture, help envision, or move towards fair or just energy transitions and how lacking such features and values might culminate in dystopian energy transitions. Groups will have the chance to get creative, sketching out these energy systems using a variety of creative formats – for example how would you illustrate a (un)just transition in a comic strip, a map, or a mood board?  

Reimaging our own research in this light enables a greater understanding of what we are working towards and the implicit values that underpin our research, as well as presenting opportunities for greater networking, collaboration, and creativity.  

The afternoon will also consist of a brief introduction to the Fair Energy Consortium, two short talks (from TU/e’s Natasha Van Bommel and UU’s Dr Jesse Hoffman) on understanding justice in energy transitions, lunch, coffee, and drinks.  

There will also be opportunity to find out about the consortiums visiting scholarship funding, workshop funds, and upcoming special issue publication plans. We strongly encourage PhD students and early career researchers to join. 

We are also looking to pursue a perspective article resulting from the afternoon (with potential options to co-author). 

For further information please contact n.a.wood@uu.nl 

Day schedule: 

11:00 – 11:30: slow turn up, chat, coffee, cake 

11:30 – 12:30:  Introduction to the Fair Energy Consortium and keynotes 

• Natascha Van Bommel, Technology, Innovation and Society group, Eindhoven University of Technology 
• Dr Jesse Hoffman, Urban Futures Studio & Copernicus Institute, Utrecht University  

12:30 – 13:00: lunch and networking  

13:00 – 13:15: setting out activity  

13:15 – 13:45: mind mapping and deliberation 

13:45 – 14:00: circulation and discussion 

14:00 – 14:30: make|create|sketch your energy systems 

14:30 – 14:45: break 

14:45 – 15:30: presenting and discussion 

15:30: Future opportunities and drinks