Social Justice and the Transition to Renewable Energy in Germany, Israel, India, and Rwanda
The intensification of the climate crisis is motivating governments, industries, and citizens to turn to low-carbon, green energy alternatives to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. The impact of this large-scale energy system transformation will not be limited to the energy sector and will be felt across the wider socio-economic and political spheres.
The global transition towards Renewable Energy (RE) technologies currently underway raises several important policy questions from a climate change mitigation and a social justice perspective. These include questions such as - How far are RE policies in different countries effective in facilitating a swift and seamless clean energy transition? To what extent are decentralized energy technologies being promoted within RE policies? Who are the beneficiaries of the current policies that promote the greater use of RE? Is the transition to RE reducing or exacerbating socio-economic gaps between individuals and groups in society, and are there policies in place to mitigate against inequities? What is being done to promote a just and egalitarian approach to renewable energy development?
Guided by these questions, this research project aims to compare decentralized renewable energy promotion policies, governance mechanisms, and outcomes in four diverse countries - Germany, Israel, India, and Rwanda. These four countries are transitioning towards a greater share of renewable energy in their energy mix and face different socio-economic, political, and geographic challenges. These differences make the comparison particularly important, exciting, and potentially illuminating for research on other countries.
The research aims to examine how these four diverse countries plan to rapidly expand their renewable energy use, the extent to which they are pursuing decentralized versus centralized approaches, and the socio-economic consequences of their transition paths to renewable energies. The research project runs through 31-03-2027 and is funded by a grant of the German-Israeli Foundation. The project is carried out in collaboration with faculty members and researchers at the Tel Aviv University in Israel.
Project Investigators:
Prof. Dr. Miranda Schreurs - Technical University of Munich (https://www.hfp.tum.de/environmentalpolicy/team/leitung-des-lehrstuhls/)
Prof. Ravit Hananel - Tel Aviv University
(https://en-social-sciences.tau.ac.il/profile/hananelr)
Prof. Ram Fishman - Tel Aviv University
(https://english.tau.ac.il/profile/ramf)