ABSTRACT
In the midst of the ongoing climate crisis, energy transition is one of the most important issues facing local, national, and international communities. An energy transition rooted in democratic principles is our best hope of achieving just, equitable, and culturally appropriate solutions across the many scales of decision making about energy. To work toward a sociotechnical energy transition infused with democratic practices and ideals—energy democracy—requires that scholars and practitioners engage and experiment with new forms of participation, relations of power, practices of justice, and configurations of energy technologies. The vision behind this handbook is to offer a transdisciplinary examination of the research and practices that constitute energy democracy or energy democracies. This introduction chapter begins by defining energy democracy as a composition of energy and democracy, then introduces a framework for examining energy democracy at the intersections of justice, participation, power, and technology, concluding with a preview of the book’s sections.
