Fostering Community Engagement through Knowledge Mobilization in Renewable Energy Cooperatives - A Case Study of Canmore, Alberta

• Author / Creator

  Nekounamghadirli, Sara

• Renewable energy cooperatives can be critical resources in promoting sustainable energy transitions and developing alternates to conventional energy systems. Gaining experience and learning from those cooperatives innovating practices on the frontlines can support emerging energy communities, and may encourage greater participation amongst a broader public. Understanding the dynamic of knowledge mobilization within these cooperatives is critical for encouraging such engagement, and can be a useful means of supporting more comprehensive and community integrated forms of energy transition. This subject is particularly important in Alberta, the third-largest electricity producer in Canada, where a small number of cooperative energy projects are taking shape, but in a context in which experience and research is limited. While some research has investigated the challenges of developing cooperatives, there is a significant gap in understanding how knowledge mobilization shapes the institutional structure of these cooperatives and what factors affect processes of knowledge mobilization. This research explores knowledge mobilization dynamics in Bow Valley Green Energy Cooperative in Canmore, Alberta. In this study, a case study approach was taken incorporating data from in-depth interviews with key informants and field visits. From these datasets, results highlight the role of strategies, routines and shared interests in collaborating and learning from similar organizations. Regulatory frameworks and intermediary organizations were identified as contextual factors influencing knowledge mobilization. Addressing power dynamics is also essential, advocating for a federated approach and policy changes to enhance the effectiveness of knowledge mobilization processes.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Energy Transition
  • Community Engagement
  • Community energy
  • Renewable Energy Cooperatives
  • Knowledge Mobilization

• Graduation date

  Fall 2024

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-42zw-h442

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.