Project Summary

The war between Russia and Ukraine and the associated energy supply bottlenecks have highlighted how dependent our electricity supply is on geopolitical power relations. The expansion of renewable energies is often seen as a solution to reduce this dependence and combat climate change. However, research in social sciences and humanities shows that the construction of large wind, hydro and solar power plants often entails high costs for the local environment and surrounding communities and is therefore viewed critically by many stakeholders. In contrast, there are small hydropower plants all over the world that are operated by cooperatives, families or individuals. These produce renewable energy for local needs over years or even decades.

The four-year research project Maintaining Relations – Community-owned Hydropower Infrastructure Through Time (2024–2028), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, is dedicated to these decentralized energy infrastructures. Our goal is to understand how small hydropower plant operators – whether cooperatives, families or individuals – can maintain their plants and electricity grids over decades.

Using selected examples in the Swiss Alps and the Peruvian Andes, we investigate:

• How is the knowledge necessary for operation passed on?
• How have ownership structures, power structures and social relationships changed in the context of small hydropower?
• What political, legal and cultural mechanisms contribute to the long-term preservation of these infrastructures?
• What role do family, neighbourhood, professional, religious and other collective ties play in this?

We assume that social relationships and collective identities play a central role in long-term maintenance.

With our project, we want to show how important social aspects are for a sustainable energy future. In doing so, we not only highlight the important work of maintenance, but also contribute to infrastructure research by focusing on the reciprocal relationship between people and infrastructure, as well as the role of social ties in long-term energy production.

Together with our research participants, we are developing a best practice model that will serve as inspiration for others to build and maintain decentralized electricity infrastructures – while also showing policymakers how such initiatives can be specifically supported.