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Critical making, critical niches: co-design for energy transitions and living labs in South Africa
Earl, A. C. 2025. Critical Making, Critical Niches: Co-design for Energy Transitions and Living Labs in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/5cc2853a-79fd-406c-8400-cae7469ac0c7
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| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613895176224768 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Earl, Andrew Christopher |
| author2 | De Kock, Imke |
| author_browse | De Kock, Imke Earl, Andrew Christopher |
| author_facet | De Kock, Imke Earl, Andrew Christopher |
| author_sort | Earl, Andrew Christopher |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Earl, A. C. 2025. Critical Making, Critical Niches: Co-design for Energy Transitions and Living Labs in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/5cc2853a-79fd-406c-8400-cae7469ac0c7 |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132170 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:24.214Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132170 Critical making, critical niches: co-design for energy transitions and living labs in South Africa Earl, Andrew Christopher De Kock, Imke Ceschin, Fabrizio Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering. Engineering Management. Energy transition -- South Africa Technological innovations -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Renewable energy sources UCTD Earl, A. C. 2025. Critical Making, Critical Niches: Co-design for Energy Transitions and Living Labs in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/5cc2853a-79fd-406c-8400-cae7469ac0c7 Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Electricity access in South Africa was 86.5% in 2022. Around 7.9 million South Africans do not have access to electricity. Unreliable, or no electricity is a feature of everyday life for many of the country’s most vulnerable. Moreover, there is a need to move from previously carbon emission intensive, unsustainable energy systems towards less carbon emission intensive, sustainable energy systems. An energy transition using renewable energy is therefore being implemented in South Africa in vulnerable areas where electricity needs have been previously unmet. Providing a technology, and meeting previously unmet energy needs in settlements with vulnerable populations pose systemic, technical and social challenges. Energy transition studies, co-design and living labs are positioned as useful theoretical starting points for studying and addressing these challenges: energy transition studies as it takes a systemic view to analysing the complex systems at play, co-design because it allows for practitioners to influence and make changes to these systems in partnership with the beneficiaries of these systems, and living labs as it allows for such research to be embedded in a context. This research establishes the theoretical underpinnings of co-design, energy transitions and living labs as they pertain to South Africa and the Global South and positions them for integration. Three structured literature reviews are conducted to observe any gaps in knowledge between the fields of co-design, energy transitions and living labs in the Global South. These reviews yield not only a knowledge gap but also show prevailing challenges in projects aiming towards energy transitions in the Global South. These issues are primarily social: knowledge differences and power dynamics. To address and study these problems, the Critical Making, Critical Niches (CMCN) conceptual framework and co-design method is developed. CMCN comprises three components. First is a conceptual framework connecting the fields of energy transitions, co-design and living labs and connecting the activities in a co-design process with transition frameworks of broader socio-systemic change. Second is a co-design method, based on critical making, with emphasis on the material involvement of participants. Third is the data collection tool using specific units of analysis and data collection during co-design processes which enable practitioners to determine possible preferences regarding the power dynamics involved in the implementation of a technology and whether social learning has occurred, thus reconciling knowledge differences between stakeholders. CMCN is evaluated via a verification and validation process. Verification consists of theoretical verification with subject matter expert interviews. Here, an initial version of CMCN, named CMCN (preliminary) is presented and thereafter refined. This refined version, named CMCN (refined) undergoes practical verification, conducted through a South African case study with a renewable energy provider in a low-income community. Refinements are proposed and implemented, to create the final version of CMCN, named Cohesive CMCN which is validated in a case study with a community of practice implementing wall mounted solar lighting in informal settlements in Cape Town. The evaluation determines that Cohesive CMCN provides coherent theoretical framework and a practicable, applicable co-design process for energy transitions. The case study shows Cohesive CMCN’s capacity to unearth power dynamics, provide platforms for stakeholder discourse, and generate social learning. It showed efficacy as a data collection tool for determining niche-regime AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Elektrisiteitstoegang in Suid-Afrika was in 2022 86.5%. Ongeveer 7,9 miljoen Suid-Afrikaners sit sonder toegang tot elektrisiteit. Onbetroubare, of bloot geen, toegang tot elektrisiteit is kenmerkend van die alledaagse lewens van die land se kwesbaarste inwoners. Boonop is dit belangrik om weg te beweeg van onvolhoubare energiestelsels wat koolstofvrystelling intensief is, na meer volhoubare energiestelsels. Die implementering van ’n energie-oorgang, wat gebruik maak van hernubare energie, is onderweg in Suid-Afrika se kwesbare gebiede wat voorheen deur onsekere energiedienste geraak is. Om ’n tegnologie te verskaf en voorheen onvervulde elektrisiteitsbehoeftes in nedersettings met weerlose populasies reg te stel, is op sistemiese, tegniese en maatskaplike vlakke uitdagend. Energie-oorgangsstudies, mede-ontwerp en lewende laboratoriums word voorgestel as geskikte teoretiese uitgangspunte vir die studie en aanspreking van hierdie kwessies. Studies oor energieoorgang neem n sistemiese benadering tot die analise van die komplekse sisteme ter sprake, terwyl mede-ontwerp dit vir praktisyne moontlik maak om ’n invloed te hê en veranderinge aan hierdie sisteme, in samewerking met die begunstigdes, aan te bring. Laastens bied lewende laboratoriums ’n konteks waarin hierdie navorsing gedoen kan word. Hierdie navorsing bevestig die teoretiese grondslag van mede-ontwerp, energie-oorgange en lewende laboratoriums soos dit betrekking het op Suid-Afrika en die globale Suide, en stel voor dat hierdie konsepte geïntegreer kan word . Drie gestruktureerde literatuurorsigte is uitgevoer om bewus te word van enige leemtes in die kennis en navorsingspogings in die velde van medeontwerp, energie-oorgange en lewende laboratoriums in the globale Suide. Hierdie ondersoek identifiseer onsamehange in die kennis en bevind ook dat projekte wat na energie-oorgange in die globale Suide strewe heersende uitdagings in die gesig staar. Die kwessies is hoofsaaklik van ’n maatskaplike aard, soos kennisverskille en dinamika van gesag. ’Critical Making, Critical Niches’ (CMCN) is ontwikkel om hierdie kwessies aan te spreek en te bestudeer. CMCN bestaan uit drie komponente. Eerstens, ’n konseptuele raamwerk wat die velde van energie-oorgange, mede-ontwerp en lewende laboratoriums verbind asook om ’n vergelyking te tref tussen die aktiwiteite van ’n mede-onwerpsproses en oorgangsraamwerke wat meer breedweg met sosio-sistemiese veranderinge geassosieer word. Tweedens behels dit ’n mede-ontwerp metodologie, gebaseer op Kritiese Skepping (’Critical Making’), wat die materiële betrokkenheid van deelnemers beklemtoon. Dan, derdens, is daar die analitiese hulpmiddel wat van spesifieke ontledingseenhede en data-insameling gebruik maak gedurende mede-ontwerpprosesse en, sodoende, praktisyne daartoe in staat te stel ommoontlike voorkeure in diemagsdinamika betrokke in tegnologietoepassingsprosesse te bepaal. Verder bied dit ’nmaatstafomsosiale leer te assesseer en dus kennisverskille tussen belanghebbendes te vernou. CMCN is geëvalueer deur ’n verifikasie- en validasieproses. Verifikasie behels eerstens teoretiese verifikasie deur onderhoude met onderwerp deskundiges te voer. Hierdie aanvanklike weergawe vanCMCN, genaamdCMCN(voorlopig),word aangebied en daarna verfyn. Die verfynde weergawe, genaamd CMCN (verfynd), ondergaan ’n proses van praktiese verifikasie tydens ’n Suid-Afrikaanse gevallestudie wat ’n hernubare energieverskaffer in ’n lae-inkomste gemeenskap betrek. Verfyningsword voorgestel en toegepas om die finaleweergawe van CMCN, hierna bekend as VolledigeCMCN, te bereik. Hierdie finaleweergawe is gevalideer deur middel van ’n gevallestudie waartydens gemeenskapslede van ’n informele nedersetting in Kaapstad moes oefen om muurgemonteerde sonkragbeligting in hul woonbuurte te installeer. Die evaluering bepaal dat Volledige CMCN ’n samehangende teoretiese raamwerk asook ’n uitvoerbare en geskikte mede-ontwerpproses vir energie-oorgange bied. Die gevallestudie dui op Volledige CMCN se geskiktheid om dinamika van mag te ontwikkel, dit bied platforms vir gesprekke tussen belanghebbendes en dit bemoedig sosiale leer. Dit is ’n nuttige hulpmiddel vir die insameling van data om nis-regime dinamika en nis-oorgangsweë op gronde van die gegewe ontledingseenhede te bepaal. Doctoral 2025-05-28T12:16:59Z 2025-05-28T12:16:59Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132170 en Stellenbosch University xvi, 313 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Energy transition -- South Africa Technological innovations -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Renewable energy sources UCTD Earl, Andrew Christopher Critical making, critical niches: co-design for energy transitions and living labs in South Africa |
| title | Critical making, critical niches: co-design for energy transitions and living labs in South Africa |
| title_full | Critical making, critical niches: co-design for energy transitions and living labs in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Critical making, critical niches: co-design for energy transitions and living labs in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Critical making, critical niches: co-design for energy transitions and living labs in South Africa |
| title_short | Critical making, critical niches: co-design for energy transitions and living labs in South Africa |
| title_sort | critical making critical niches co design for energy transitions and living labs in south africa |
| topic | Energy transition -- South Africa Technological innovations -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Renewable energy sources UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132170 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT earlandrewchristopher criticalmakingcriticalnichescodesignforenergytransitionsandlivinglabsinsouthafrica |