Distributing Power:Philosophical Issues in a Cratological Evaluation of Technologies
Jorge Camacho, PhDUniversity of East London
“...clean, reliable and
affordable electricity at
thecustomer
site.”(Bloom Energy)
Distributed Generation (DG)
Distributed Energy Resources
(DER)
“shifts control to the
consumer”(Bloom Energy)
“generate electricity
everywhere”
“think negawatts,
not megawatts”
“store power in
superbatteries”
Grid 2.0Energy
Web
Assessment of energy
systems[technologies]...
Technical (or 'internal') values:
A system is...
EffectiveEfficientReliable
Some 'external' values:
(Economic)(Ecological)
A system is...
Cost effective
Sustainable
Cratological →
(kratus = power)
Objective #1:
Technologies Social Power
→
Framework:
* Ontological* Normative (Evaluative)* Theoretical (Explanatory)
Framework:
* Ontological* Normative (Evaluative)* Theoretical (Explanatory)
Objective #2:
Electricity Supply Systems
Systems Ontology>
Mario Bunge
<(Social) Systems OntologyJames S.
Coleman
Systems Ontology of Technology >
Miguel A. Quintanilla
System =Composite
object(Components bonded by interactions)
System:
C > CompositionE > EnvironmentS > StructureM > Mechanism
(characteristic process)
Technological System:
C > actors and artifactsE > other systems (inc. social)S > relations...M > “technological realization”
(Quintanilla)
A sequence of“actions intentionally
oriented to the transformation of things in order to
achieve a valuable result.”
Technological realization:
(Quintanilla)
Social ontology...
< social power
Coleman's 'social algebra'...
Social System:
C > actors and resourcesE > //////////////////S > control and interestM > ...............................
Social System:
C > actors and resourcesE > //////////////////S > control and interestM > social exchange
The most interesting resources...
… are the most valuable.
Power (of a social actor) =measure of the value of the
resources under her/his control.
Power (of a social actor) =Capacity to act / decide about
the system as a whole.
Normative / Evaluative dimension>
< What is the fair or just distribution of power in
society?
< Distributive Justice
Ronald DworkinJames S. Coleman
Equality......of what?
(Amartya Sen)
Equality of resources(R. Dworkin) >
Equivalence of resources =
Equality......of Power
Theoretical / Explanatory dimension>
< How can technological development be causally related to distribution of
power?
Economic power>
< Markets and industries
<Affordance>>Social
affordance<(J.J. Gibson, Don Norman, Manuel Delanda)
Objective #2:
Electricity Supply Systems
Reduction of scale>
<competition, re-distribution of
power?
* Vertical re-integration* Horizontal concentration* Barriers to entry* High prices
<affordances not realized
<affordances not realized
>political challenge
New Paradigm:
DER
DistributedEnergy
Resources
Promise: transfer of power>
* prosumers* independent
producers* local communities
Egalitarian affordances>
Egalitarian affordances>
<philosophersof technology