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Paper short abstract

This paper rethinks participation in renewable energy governance by examining Indigenous energy projects in Taiwan. Drawing on cases in Indigenous territories, it explores tensions between global energy governance and Indigenous ecological knowledge and community decision-making practices.

Paper long abstract

In global energy transitions, community participation and shared ownership are widely promoted as mechanisms to democratize energy systems and enhance resilience. However, these governance models often emerge from Eurocentric assumptions about development, technology, and participation.

This paper rethinks participation by examining how global renewable energy governance encounters Indigenous ecological knowledge and community decision-making practices in Taiwan. Drawing on literature and policy analysis as well as semi-structured interviews, the study analyzes several renewable energy projects located in Indigenous territories in eastern Taiwan, including solar energy development and geothermal initiatives.

The analysis focuses on three key dimensions: the meaning of development, governance mechanisms such as co-ownership and consultation rights, and the interaction between renewable energy technologies and Indigenous ecological knowledge. The findings suggest that Indigenous communities do not necessarily oppose development, but hold different understandings of how development should be defined and governed. Renewable energy initiatives often emphasize technological learning and economic participation, while local ecological knowledge and cultural practices are marginalized.

Furthermore, governance mechanisms such as co-ownership schemes and state-led consultation procedures do not easily align with Indigenous understandings of land, collective decision-making, and traditional territorial relations shaped by colonial histories. For example, formal consultation processes differ significantly from traditional community assemblies where decisions are made through collective consensus.

By revisiting participation as a seemingly universal governance principle, this paper highlights how renewable energy governance continues to reproduce colonial legacies. It argues for more pluralistic approaches to energy futures that recognize Indigenous knowledge systems and locally grounded forms of participation.