Differentiated grassroots: Navigating sustainability transitions in conservative political contexts

Abstract

Uneven subnational energy policy and regulatory geographies in the United States are a widely recognised reality, resulting from the absence of a concerted federal effort towards climate change and sustainable energy development. Against this backdrop, the rise of citizen-led energy transitions or Grassroots Energy Communities (GECs) in liberal and conservative states signals an opportunity for fostering a common ground for climate action, only to be undermined by questions concerning their touted countervailing potential against the mainstream energy system. With particular reference to conservative political contexts, this article presents a comparative case study of Grassroots Energy Communities arising amidst uneven socio-spatial circumstances. By interrogating lived experiences and situated socio-material practices, the article offers interesting theoretical, practical and policy insights. By explicating the materiality of technical devices, purposively rendered meaningful in context and politicised towards particular political and economic ends, the study shows how socio-material processes not only help forge strategic alliances between potentially antagonistic stakeholders but also lead to the obfuscation of power differentials. From a policy perspective, this study shows how conservative ideology – despite hyper-nationalist invocations – subjects local citizen-led efforts to the vicissitudes of global capital by selectively justifying state support to facilitate its circulation.