Solarity

Solarity is a potential solution to our energy problems, but it requires understanding the social and political possibilities it can generate. This special issue explores the overlapping relationships, strategies, and conflicts that will attend this latest energy transition.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 228 pages
Publication date: 29 December 2020
Publisher: Duke University Press

In the face of climate change, solar energy is often seen as a promising solution to our energy challenges. It is a fuel source that is abundant, resistant to commodification and speculation, and can be collected and used without the harmful environmental consequences associated with fossil fuels and nuclear energy. However, what remains to be understood is not just the amount of energy that solar power can produce or whether it can truly replace fossil fuels, but also the social and political conditions that will enable its widespread adoption. This special issue brings together contributors who explore the overlapping relationships, strategies, and conflicts that will shape the latest and perhaps last energy transition under the term "solarity." By focusing on the social implications of the emergence of solar energy, they investigate whether and how it can avoid or reproduce the pathologies of existing capitalist and colonialist petrocultures. The contributors include Joel Auerbach, Nandita Badami, Daniel A. Barber, Darin Barney, Amanda Boetzkes, Dominic Boyer, Jamie Cross, GÖkÇe GÜnel, Eva-Lynn Jagoe, Jordan B. Kinder, Mark Simpson, Nicole Starosielski, Imre Szeman, Rhys Williams, and Sheena Wilson. Their diverse perspectives and expertise provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with solar energy's transition to a dominant energy source.

ISBN-13: 9781478021148