'Candles are not bright enough': Inclusive urban energy transformations in spaces of urban inequality

Caprotti, Federico; Phillips, Jon; Petrova, Saska; Bouzarovski, Stefan; Essex, Stephen; de Groot, Jiska; Baker, Lucy; Reddy, Y; Wolpe, Peta

Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss the key issue of how to envisage a just, fair and equitable energy transformation in the South African context. We argue that the move towards a new energy landscape cannot simply be described as a transition, but more accurately (in light of the need to involve multiple scales and actors, and to manage complex development outcomes) as a societal transformation. We also ask the key question of what a just and equitable transformation might look like in the context of South Africa in 2030. The chapter was co-written by scholars with multiple theoretical perspectives and backgrounds, and by practitioners at Sustainable Energy Africa, a Cape Town-based organisation centrally involved in promoting urban energy transformations that are both low carbon and equitable.

Citation

Caprotti, F., Phillips, J., Petrova, S., Bouzarovski, S., Essex, S., de Groot, J., Baker, L., Reddy, Y., & Wolpe, P. (2021). 'Candles are not bright enough': Inclusive urban energy transformations in spaces of urban inequality. In M. Keith, & A. de Souza Santos (Eds.), African Cities and Collaborative Futures: Urban Platforms and Metropolitan Logistics (121-142). Manchester University Press. https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526155351.00012

• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Jan 17, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 17, 2022
• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Pages: 121-142
• Series Title: Global Urban Transformations
• Book Title: African Cities and Collaborative Futures: Urban Platforms and Metropolitan Logistics
• ISBN: 9781526155351
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526155351.00012
• Publisher URL: https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/47159/9781526155351_fullhl.pdf?sequence=1#page=140