Book chapter on marine energy policy published by the International network for Social Studies of Marine Energy (ISSMER).
It was developed at a workshop with representatives from marine energy communities, industry, and policy. Together we summarised the key ways in which social science and humanities research plays a crucial role in the development of marine renewable energy.
The workshop and writing were funded as part of the EU SHAPE Energy project led by Chris Foulds, Anglia Ruskin University, to whom we are very grateful.
The chapter formed a SHAPE Energy ‘Think Piece’ which is now published as an Open Access book by Palgrave Macmillan.
Chapter Abstract
The development of the Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) industry is part of the EC Blue Growth Strategy. It brings together a range of relationships across people, sea, and energy, from developers to local communities and policymakers. This calls for diverse approaches, moving beyond an oppositional mindset to one that can establish an inclusive community around MRE development. Ownership of the marine environment is a legal issue, but MRE devices operate within a cultural and emotional sense of place. Early, sustained community engagement and advocacy is crucial to developing an industry whose impacts are likely to be felt before its social benefits materialise. Crucially, local communities could be supported by Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) research in creating new mythologies and imaginaries through which MRE technologies become an integral part of their culture, as well as part of their biophysical environment. A complex physical, political, and legal environment provides the context for these new marine energy technologies, and its development provides opportunities for SSH research to address issues around the sea and to integrate into the design of new marine energy seascapes.
