The Energy Democracy (ED) is primarily framed based on the “liberal ideals” from the Global North. Against this backdrop, we analysed how NGOs in the Global South employed the concept of ED during the Dharnai experiment in rural India. Using a case study method, we explore the opportunities and limitations of operationalising the “liberal energy democracy” (associative, deliberative and material-based conceptions) ideals in a resource-constrained, hierarchical and unequal rural setting in the Global South. We analysed how the ED experiment engaged with the questions of historical inequalities (based on caste, gender and urban-rural divide) and multi-pronged vulnerabilities (due to neoliberal policies and emerging precariousness in rural settings) in India. The ED framework needs to proactively engage with the questions of social justice and historical inequalities, beyond liberal terms. The ED call needs to engage with environmental and development questions from a pluralistic perspective, in an unequal and racialised world order, for deepening the democratic debate.
Sharma, A. (2026). "Delivering" energy democracy in rural India? A case study of the "community-based" solar off-grid. Local Environment, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2026.2644496