Contribution short abstract

Case study of Atacama's Desert AtLAST observatory examines off‑grid renewables for the telescope and San Pedro de Atacama. Participatory analysis shows emission cuts, cost savings and procedural‑justice gains, but highlights political, financial and power imbalances.

Contribution long abstract

The remote location and prime astronomical conditions of the Atacama Desert in Chile make it an ideal location for building observatories. However, the reliance on fossil fuel power generation raises concerns about climate change and fuel price fluctuations. As a result, there is a growing need to power off-grid telescopes with renewable energy sources. This paper employs a participatory multi-criteria analysis to examine the energy justice implications of a renewable energy (RE) system for the planned observatory AtLAST in the Atacama Desert. The observatory also seeks to provide "clean" electricity to the neighbouring San Pedro de Atacama (SPA) community, making it the first astronomy site to investigate alternative energy supply options for the population. The results propose a renewable energy system that could reduce astronomical emissions in the area by 17-23ktCO2eq while lowering energy costs for SPA. Furthermore, involving the community through workshops and considering their energy needs when designing renewable energy scenarios may contribute to procedural justice. However, findings also highlight the challenges caused by different ontologies, financial constraints, political interests, and power imbalances, which hinder efforts to achieve energy justice. The study further reveals that the scientific community often overlooks the well-being of nearby communities where research is conducted, which can exacerbate climate change-related inequalities and neglect the voices of these communities. The paper, therefore, aims to provide a nuanced example of how scientific research activities can benefit from low-carbon energy transitions while also contributing to recognising their responsibilities towards the communities where their research is carried out.