Solar energy justice: A case-study analysis of Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract

Our study investigates solar energy justice in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. In 2017, we were engaged by the Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SaskPower), a government owned electric utility, to conduct stakeholder engagement workshops for the development of new solar energy programs in Saskatchewan. In coordination with SaskPower we developed a deliberative dialogue approach to the consultation process. Select stakeholders were invited to participate in a half-day workshop. In this workshop participants were asked for input on the principles that would guide SaskPower’s solar energy strategy, the barriers that prevent solar energy from being installed in the province, and their ideas for effective solar energy programs. Participants worked in small groups to design solar energy programs, creating opportunities for mutual learning and deliberation. This research is the first application of deliberative dialogue to the design of solar energy programs of which we are aware and offers an example of due process in the program design stage of energy planning. We use an energy justice decision-making (Sovacool et al., 2014) tool to evaluate the process of designing SaskPower’s solar energy strategy and the content of recommendations made by participants to answer the question, can due process help to achieve energy justice? Participants in our deliberative dialogue suggested guiding principles that were similar to the dimensions of the energy justice decision-making tool. The deliberative process also highlighted tensions between dimensions of the energy justice decision-making tool. In this paper, we suggest avenues to improve the deliberative dialogue process and conclude that centering due process as a core element of the energy justice decision-making tool can help to achieve energy justice. Our results contribute to the growing field of study on how deliberative dialogue can allow for better decisions in complex fields such as energy policy.