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Andreas Roos

Researcher

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Out of steam? : A social science and humanities research agenda for geothermal energy

Author

  • Rozanne Spijkerboer
  • Ethemcan Turhan
  • Andreas Roos
  • Marco Billi
  • Sofia Vargas-Payera
  • Jose Opazo
  • Marco Armiero

Summary, in English

The potential of geothermal energy for energy transition is increasingly recognized by governments around the world. Whether geothermal energy is a sustainable source of heat and/or electricity depends on how it is deployed in specific contexts. Therefore, it is striking that there is only limited attention to geothermal energy from a social science and humanities (SSH) perspective. Geothermal energy is largely conceptualized as a technological and/or geological issue in both science and practice. This perspective article aims to go beyond such conceptualizations by positioning social science research as an important lens to explore the promises and pitfalls of geothermal energy. We first provide an overview of the current state of geothermal energy as a decarbonization strategy. Second, we move on to review the existing literature. This review shows that studies that do address geothermal energy from an SSH perspective tend to be of a descriptive nature and lack analytical diversity. Third, we discuss three complementary theoretical approaches that are used in the social sciences to observe and address other forms of energy and energy transition. We believe that socio-technical assemblages, systems, and imaginaries can provide fruitful analytical lenses to study the promises, pitfalls and spatialization of geothermal energy. We conclude the paper with a research agenda and call for further engagement with this topic in SSH research, with attention to specificities of global South and North contexts.

Department/s

  • Human Ecology

Publishing year

2022-10-01

Language

English

Publication/Series

Energy Research & Social Science

Volume

92

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Other Humanities not elsewhere specified
  • Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
  • Energy Systems

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2214-6326