Beyond wind turbines, solar panels and beautiful landscapes: Figurative components of sustainable energy in Italy

This study extends previous research conducted on textual data and focuses on the figurative components of the social representation (SR) of sustainable energy currently shared in Italy. Our aim was to examine images as products, sources and forms of transmission of SRs and to answer three main questions concerning the SR of sustainable energy: Can a shared figurative nucleus be identified? What alternative images do these components activate? And how are images used in the making of SRs? Mixed methodology was used to examine a large set of photographs (N=167), collected from two independent competitions on the theme of energy transition. First, photographs were submitted to content and cluster analyses in order to identify recurrent patterns. Second, a selection of photographs was used in four small group semistructured discussions. Participants were asked to sort them, as well as define and discuss the topic of sustainable energy. Results showed the prevalence of ecocentric and technocentric representations of sustainable energy, which are coherent with previous research, as well as an anthropocentric representation, which was used to challenge shared views. This suggests that the rise of new visions of urban sustainability may be challenging the most central elements of the representation. Methodological, applied and policy implications are discussed.