The Spatialities of Energy Transition Processes

Abstract

This chapter explores the role of spatiality and how it is constructed in energy transition processes. Space is part of different operations for channelling, assessing and controlling material flows to turn them into energy resources and ensure a predictable production. The chapter proposes the idea of a ‘politicsPoliticspolitical of volumes’ to describe how an energy volume is calculated, delineated and controlled, how sharing it and living together within it is made possible, and how it is (re)configured when being connected to a pre-existing large socio-technical assemblage (such as an electrical grid). These explorations offer new insights about the strategic combinations of energy and non-energy volumes, the influence of social and spatial heritage in the making of energy volumes and the power relationships at work.