Recognition justice and the evaluation of low carbon innovation projects

Evaluations of energy system innovation projects serve multiple purposes. They inform funders and stakeholders of project performance against key indicators and targets; assess value for money; document lessons learned; and provide insights for future innovation initiatives. Against the backdrop of the climate emergency, issues of equity and inclusion are being increasingly incorporated into living laboratory projects, reflecting a broader shift in energy discourse and governance towards concern for a just transition. Evaluators are key actors in assessing the justice implications of energy innovations, representing those voices and perspectives with less influence in innovation discourse and governance. However, their success in doing so depends on a range of internal and external factors. Internal factors include those frames of reference, motivations and methodological practices which vary amongst different kinds of evaluators, while external factors include the availability of data, access to users and participants, and the prioritisation of justice and inclusivity by project partners and funders. This paper draws on evidence from three energy system innovation projects in the United Kingdom to analyse the practice of evaluation as a key determinant of recognition justice. The projects, of strategic national importance, involve trials of innovative technologies and practices, including on-street electric vehicle charging, heat-pumps with load-control, and neighbourhood-scale flexibility. Each has explicit aims to address issues of energy justice, including tackling energy poverty and demonstrating the potential for demand-side practices to contribute towards grid balancing. We discuss examples of how the motivations, methods and expertise of particular evaluators influences the ways in which users are represented and issues of justice addressed, as well as practical barriers such as gathering quantitative data on electricity usage and vehicle charging data. Given the changing nature of evaluation for energy innovation, we highlight the need for critical reflexivity amongst evaluators, relating to their positionality, motivations, capabilities and limitations. Evaluation is an essential, but under-acknowledged, component of energy innovation and effective policy making. This article highlights its potential to address issues of energy justice and calls for further research and policy attention.