Research Project New Energy Spaces?
Discourse, governance, and space in the energy transition in Latin America
The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources will lead to dramatic social and spatial changes. It implies both the transformation of existing energy spaces and the production of new ones. But which discourses and governance processes will construct these new spaces? How does the design of infrastructure and political programs influence, for example, decisions about the location of green hydrogen production projects? Which actors are involved in these decisions and how? The aim of the project is to analyze the connection between discourses and governance processes in different spatial contexts, and to investigate transregional interdependencies by analyzing selected major projects of the energy transition. The project is located at the interface of political ecology and human geography (economic/social geography), and aims to contribute to the debate within human geography on the spatial dimension of the energy transition, as well as to the interdisciplinary understanding of the processes involved. The regional focus is on Latin America. The project is funded for three years (2024-2026) by Heidelberg University’s „Expanding Internationality“ project within the framework of the Excellence Strategy put forth by the German federal and state governments.
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Workshop: The Production of Uneven Renewable Energy Spaces
Energy spaces are (re/co)produced by social practices such as discourses or governance processes, valuation, and technological innovations, or infrastructures. The goal of transitioning from fossil to renewable energy sources is closely linked to processes of (new) spatial differentiation and reconfigurations of old and new energy spaces.
The two-day workshop aims to deepen the conceptual debate on the (re)production of energy spaces while also discussing ongoing empirical work with a regional focus on South and Central America, Mexico, Southern Europe (Italy), and the MENA region.
Summer School 'Espacios y transiciones energéticos'
The expansion and implementation of renewable energies is becoming an increasingly important global priority. The strategies, policies and corresponding measures taken by governments and states have high impact and very specific implications in many places. The use of technology, the planning of power plants and the projections for the decarbonisation of entire industries and countries depend, among other factors, on the geographical location where they are to be implemented. In this summer school, experts from the University of Heidelberg, the University of Chile and other Chilean universities, as well as practitioners will address the topic of renewable energies in old and new energy spaces.
