Of People, PV, Power Lines: Energy Islands in the Nordics

The aim of this research project is to analyse the role civil society plays in ambitious low-carbon energy transitions. These transitions demand a new role for civil society in energy planning processes. However, this role is still unclear in the scientific literature.

To address this research gap, we will look at two critical cases of island communities in the Baltic Sea: Åland, a group of islands belonging to Finland and Gotland, Sweden´s biggest island.

Both islands have recently declared ambitious energy and climate goals and are about to start the planning process for their new energy systems. Our approach is guided by the literature on a) planning; b) energy justice and c) civil society. We will apply different methods of data collection: document analysis, interviews with key actors and workshops.

Our methodology is inspired by action research, which will make them more relevant for the target audience of our research, namely, energy planners, citizens, politicians and transition intermediaries.

With this project, we hope to make a valuable contribution to the academic fields of energy transitions, civil society and energy justice while supporting the work of practitioners all over the world.