SOCIOTECHNICAL MEDIATIONS OF THE ENERGY TRANSITION: IMPACTS OF THE ARRIVAL OF SOLAR ENERGY IN AN ISOLATED COMMUNITY IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON

Abstract

This paper proposes to use insights gathered from a field trip to an extractive community in southern Amazonas to discuss the sociotechnical entanglements linked to solar energy within a broad context of polycrises, climate change, and sustainability transitions. Through a case study approach, the research examines the impacts of a decentralized, off-grid photovoltaic system (MIGDI) implemented in Vila Limeira, contrasting it with the centralized and individualized SIGFI model, which is preferentially used in the government's Luz para Todos (Light for All) program.  The empirical evidence outlined in the case study demonstrates how the MIGDI system, designed with community participation, transformed local governance in the extractive community, enabling collective energy use and fostering social and economic benefits, such as improved access to water, public lighting, and productive activities. The conclusions emphasize the importance of understanding the energy transition as a sociotechnical process. This implies that public policies should incorporate decentralized, contextualized, and participatory approaches, recognizing the role played by energy infrastructures in co-emergence with social and governance arrangements.