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Title of the thesis: Materialising Energy Transition through Participatory Design Interventions in Schools

Thesis defender: Goeun Park
Opponent: Dr. Mela Bettega, Newcastle University, UK
Custos: Prof. Sampsa Hyysalo,Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture

How can participatory design support school communities in the collaborative making of renewable energy technologies and their engagement with energy transitions?

This doctoral dissertation explores this question through the “Making Energy Together (MET)” initiative. Between 2021 and 2023, six MET projects were conducted sequentially across secondary schools in Finland and South Korea. By involving diverse school members, from students and teachers to principals and school administrators, the study developed participatory design interventions that support schools in collaboratively building renewable energy and evolving into self-governing energy communities.

The findings reveal that when people build and interact with energy technologies firsthand, energy stops being invisible; it becomes visible, accessible, and "grabbable." When collaboratively built and sociomaterially engaged, these renewable energy technologies act as gateways to the broader energy transition by facilitating critical dialogue, peer learning, and collective actions such as hands-on repair and maintenance.

However, the study also highlights critical challenges, showing that direct engagement alone is insufficient to trigger a comprehensive institutional shift. Within schools, a strong dichotomy exists between energy education and energy infrastructure. As a result, the energy technologies soon became isolated educational toolkits rather than a permanent infrastructure that facilitates energy actions. Furthermore, design practices tend to gravitate toward technical, manageable tasks, which can unintentionally marginalise broader social issues like climate change.

The research concludes that while collaborative making is a highly conducive approach for school communities to engage with energy transitions, it demands careful navigation of the complex dynamics shaped by ongoing entanglements among human actors, technical components, design tools, and institutional norms. These entanglements possess a dual nature: they are fully capable of establishing RETs as catalysts for transition, yet they risk confining their transformative potential within existing institutional boundaries

Keywords: Participatory Design for Social change, Energy transition, Energy community, schools, infrastructuring

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at . 

Contact: goeun.park@aalto.fi

Zoom link to the defence: