Studying people power in energy transition

A Royal Roads University professor is teaming up with an environmental non-profit to tackle the sometimes touchy topic of energy transitions.

And the key question Dr. Runa Das and Energy Exchange are looking to answer is: How do average Canadians feel about a transition to low-carbon energy sources?

Das is an assistant professor and core faculty member in Royal Roads’ Doctor of Social Sciences program, teaching quantitative methods to doctoral students, while Energy Exchange is the energy-literacy arm of the Pollution Probe, an Ontario-based non-government organization. Together, they were awarded a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, a Canadian federal research-funding agency, to study public perceptions of low-carbon energy transitions.

“Energy transition” refers to a shift away from fossil fuel-based sources and systems of energy production — i.e., oil, coal, natural gas — to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. It can also involve other shifts such as widespread use of electric vehicles and more people being connected to a smart grid.

Focusing on the study target — Ontario residents — and combining survey and focus-group research, Das says she hopes to gauge people’s energy literacy. Do they understand what energy transition is? Do they support widespread transition away from fossil fuels? And are they willing to pitch in to pay for such changes.

According to the grant application, “This project explores public views on paying for Canada's energy transitions… [and] asks what roles and responsibilities in effecting transitions Canadians assign to the government, utility companies and the public, how much transition costs they are personally willing to bear (through taxes or other levies), what kinds of benefits they would be willing to receive to promote a low-carbon transition, and how they make sense of transitions as an ethical issue.”

Investigating the 'why'

And her study is much more than a marketing survey. “We’re not just going to be asking people about their opinions. It’s more like, what underlies those opinions?

“There’s going to be more of a potential for them to be involved as an energy user but, also, as a participant in the decision making,” Das says, noting that potential includes, for example, homeowners who may use renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, and then be able to contribute back to the power grid.

“We’re interested in knowing… what are the perceptions around transitions? What are the values, what are the attitudes that people have when it comes to these transitions?

“We’re interested in the why. So, if someone is interested in renewables… what kinds of things do they attach to the idea of renewables?”

Das says it’s important to gauge public knowledge and willingness to contribute because average citizens will straddle different sides of the effects of energy transitions. They will impact and be impacted; they will be consumers and producers of energy; and they will be voters and, potentially, protestors. And all of these things will contribute to the path society takes in the future.