Description
Book SynopsisThis book unpacks the politics of climate change in Australia in the context of successive conservative Coalition governments resisting any moves to mitigate emissions and as local communities and transnational corporations struggle with each other to control the transition to a sustainable energy future. As Australia has abundant clean energy resources in terms of solar and wind, the book offers a test case for study of the energy policy transition in the 21st century. It does so by using tools from political economy and sociology, teasing out public attitudes to renewable energy technologies and innovative infrastructure investments, unpacking the complex parameters of this historical debate, tracing the rise of household 'prosumers' and arguing the case for grassroots ownership of renewable infrastructure or 'energy sovereignty' - already pioneered by some isolated communities in Australia. The cultural and emancipatory benefits of cooperative ventures are well known. However, capitalism is not readily defeated by democracy. The promotion of individual households as 'virtual power stations', of 'smart technologies' and even of cryptocurrency into the energy transition innovative mix opens up ever new horizons for corporate control.
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Capturing the renewable energy surge in Australia: from climate politics to energy democracy?.- Chapter 1: The demise of the coal industrial complex: the renewable energy surge.- Chapter 2: Energy capital: transitioning from coal-fired energy and new accumulation dynamics.- Chapter 3: Households’ embrace of renewable energy: the birth of the prosumer.- Chapter 4: The new energy dynamic: engaging capital and the metamorphosis of energy capital corporations into gentailers.- Chapter 5: Power generation in transition: challenging energy capital from below?.-Conclusion.
