Mining solar and social innovation : exploring social innovation and the conditions that foster it in a Canadian, community-owned renewable energy project

Abstract: As a primary driver of climate change, energy systems are often affected by the type of “self-perpetuation and lock-in” that characterize so-called ‘wicked problems’. Although it has a relatively clean energy system, Canada still has provinces (e.g. Alberta, Saskatchewan) that possess carbon-intensive power grids, and provinces that have experienced minimal renewable energy development other than hydroelectric (e.g. British Columbia). This thesis conceptualized socio-technical transition as a promising strategy for driving sustainable change in Western Canada’s energy system, and social innovation in the form of community-owned energy, as the niche level ‘agent’ of that change. I utilized the case of the SunMine—a community-owned solar project in Kimberley, B.C.,—to fulfill my research aim of examining the presence of core elements of social innovation in the project, and exploring the multi-level structural factors that shape these elements. Two components of the TEPSIE social innovation framework are used; the first enables me to ‘test’ for the presence of five core elements, the second allows me to discuss the influence of regime and niche level ‘conditions’ on the project. Data comes from a combination of semi-structured interviews and an analysis of various government, corporate, and municipal documents. My results show that the SunMine exhibits, to a degree, all five elements of social innovation. Key findings reveal that the project: displayed many novel aspects, built new relationships and transformered existing ones, better utilized City assets, and created an effective cross-sectoral partnership. The exploration of structural conditions identified the importance of renewable support policies that specifically target community level projects, a problematic bias towards technological innovation in regime-level funding, and a positive relationship between social innovation and the institutionalization of sustainability-related values and goals at the municipal (niche) level. Project stakeholders can help build momentum towards socio-technical transition, and thus, an energy system with more community-owned renewable models, by engaging in active diffusion. This involves disseminating project information and forging partnerships to assist like-minded communities. However, various structural conditions may constrain this goal. Ultimately, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of what social innovation in an energy system looks like, how various levels of society influence it, and how it can contribute to a socio-technical transition in the broader energy system.