Bringing Commoning Into View: Renewable Energy Innovation as Collective Practice in a Case from Nepal

Campbell, Ben

Abstract

The notion of energy commons is explored through a radical example from Nepal, where a grassroots initiative made domestic biogas widely accessible to villagers, not just the rural elite. The article examines different logics and layers of commoning practices at work. These are variably visible to outsiders, are refashioned by development processes, and have the potential for frictive dissonance between layers. They also show how commons-related social practices and institutions can influence energy transitions. Inequalities in energy livelihoods can be addressed by extending who participates in energy innovation. Here, inclusive adoption of biogas was partly enabled by collective rights to take livestock to common pastures, showing the potential of just energy transition through commons practice rather than techno-centric orientations.

Citation

Campbell, B. (2024). Bringing Commoning Into View: Renewable Energy Innovation as Collective Practice in a Case from Nepal. Social Analysis: The International Journal of Anthropology, 68(2), 99-118. https://doi.org/10.3167/sa.2024.680206

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 1, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jun 1, 2024
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Oct 28, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 29, 2024
• Journal: Social Analysis: The International Journal of Anthropology
• Print ISSN: 0155-977X
• Electronic ISSN: 1558-5727
• Publisher: Berghahn Journals
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 68
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 99-118
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3167/sa.2024.680206
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2990605