Contested spatialities of renewable energy expansion—Introduction to the theme issue

Bibliographic Data

ID24239583
AuthorsT Wiertz (0000-0001-7828-4275, Institute for Environmental Social Sciences and Geography, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany & Young Academy for Sustainability Research, Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany), Benjamin Schuetze (0000-0001-7849-9057, Freiburg Institute for Advanced Area Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany), Regula Lehmann (0000-0001-8440-3795, Heidelberg University), Alke Jen (0000-0002-5751-7946, RnOlD-BErGsTrAeSsEr-INsTiTuT), Hussam Hussein (0000-0002-1238-1715, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK & Young Academy for Sustainability Research, Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany), Felipe Fernández (0000-0002-1553-019X, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology)
Year2026
Publication date2026-10-21
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEnvironment and Planning C Politics and Space (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2399-6544 • E-ISSN: 2399-6552
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/23996544261497568
OpenAlexW7223184553
LanguageEN
References cited57

Renewable energy increasingly complements fossil fuels in meeting rising global energy demand. Yet its rollout is neither even nor free of conflict. This theme issue foregrounds the spatialities and scales of renewable energy infrastructures and examines the deeply contested nature of energy transition efforts. Drawing on case studies from Morocco, Jordan, Namibia, Mexico, Brazil, Peru and Ecuador, the contributions offer insights into recent regional developments and highlight transregional and cross-scalar interrelations. They connect place-based research on contested energy projects in political ecology, geography and anthropology with nation-focused analyses of energy transition policy, and approach scale as an unfolding field of contestation. In doing so, they challenge notions of a homogeneous “local” in analyses of energy conflict and move beyond methodological nationalism while still recognizing the significance of the national scale. Together, the theme issue demonstrates the value of relational approaches for disentangling and understanding the contested geographies of contemporary renewable energy expansion.

Extractivism and Socioeconomic Issues · Global Energy Security and Policy · Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy

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