Understanding the Energy Transition. Civil society, territory and inequality in Italy

This book focuses on the energy transition from a system predominantly based on fossil fuels to one where renewable energy is increasingly important. Through the conceptual lens of sociology, this book aims to critically look at the linkages between renewable energy, civil society, territory and inequality. Opening with a discussion of the origins of sociology’s interest in the energy issue, the book focuses on three areas of the energy transition where the relevance of social variables emerge more explicitly: conflicts over the construction and localization of renewable energy production facilities; the social-territorial impact of renewable energy policies on inequality patterns; and the emergence of forms of collective action on renewable energy promoting a new model of the energy system centered on communities and prosumers.