A conceptual merging of circular economy, degrowth and conviviality design approaches applied to renewable energy technology

Abstract

This article explores design criteria for renewable energy (RE) technology that align with Circular Economy (CE) strategies, while considering social dimensions and enabling independence from the economic growth imperative. Technologies addressed are solar photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and lithium-ion batteries. A literature review of CE and Degrowth fields culminates in a 45 CE strategies framework being merged with two ‘convivial technology’ design tools, identified in Degrowth literature, creating a ‘CE-Conviviality design tool’. This tool facilitates a CE-conviviality criteria comparison, finding weaknesses in CE design approaches; and four contributions from conviviality – power distribution, equity and autonomy; localization; relatedness; and sufficiency. These contributions are applied to RE technology and their circular systems; identifying RE designers' strategies for action to foster growth independence and social wellbeing. The article calls for balance between design for internationalized/industrial technology and localized, convivial technologies - and end-of-life systems. Designers can promote: technology distributed through open-source technology, adaptable to multiple contexts; ‘relatedness’ - bolstering social wellbeing; and low-tech and sufficiency-based business models - the ultimate balance to international/industrial supply chains. Long-term, designers can collaborate internationally/nationally with policy and supply chain stakeholders to design technology for ‘local’ production/maintenance in specific geographical areas (e.g. countries), according to locally available materials or expanding CE systems; reducing reliance on monopolistic international supply chains.