Contents

Cover

Title page

Copyright page

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Part I: Engineering and Sustainability

Chapter 1: Engineering Sustainability, Sustaining Engineering
1. Introduction
2. The Sustainable, Yet Invisible, Engineer
3. What Prompts the Sustainability Engineer? The Ideologies of Technological Change and Technopolitics
4. Conclusion
Chapter 2: A Critical History of Sustainability Engineering
1. Common Departures
2. Speaking to the Converted: Institutional and Ideological Alliances
3. Engineers Going for Sustainability (1985–1997)
4. Meeting the Challenge to not be Left Behind (1998–2003)
5. Claiming Technology’s Territory, Stretching Sustainability’s Boundaries: US Engineers and the Earth Charter
6. Conclusion
Chapter 3: Resisting Sustainability
1. Negotiating Ideas about Self and Nature: the Case of American Engineers for Social Responsibility (AESR), 1988–1994
2. Conclusion

Part II: Life Cycle Analysis

Chapter 4: When Social Values Make an Entry¹
1. Introduction
2. Targeting the Social Risks: Fitting the Life Cycle Perspective into Corporate Social Responsibility
3. Conclusion
Chapter 5: Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) Rationalities
1. Toward Greater Democracy in SLCA?
2. Conclusion

Part III: Case Studies

Chapter 6: Life Cycle Sustainability, Renewable Energy Project Development, and the Exclusion of Local Knowledge in California’s Western Antelope Valley (WAV)¹
1. Introduction
2. Sustainability Engineering Downplaying Local Knowledge
3. Interview material:
4. Setting:
5. Mistrust and hostility: Perceptions of Engineering and Community Engagement in RE project development in the WAV
6. Conclusion
Chapter 7: Through an Ethnographic Lens: Local-Regional Politics of Utility Solar and Wind Siting in California
1. The Cinderella of Utility-scale Renewables
2. Opaque and Contentious by Design: LA County’s Inaugural Utility-scale Solar PV Projects
3. Setting:
4. Setting:
5. Setting:
6. Setting:
7. Interview material:
8. Interview material
9. Setting:
10. Setting:
11. Setting:
12. Setting:
13. Setting
14. Setting
15. Interview material:
16. Interview material:
17. Blue Sky Thinking: Siting Utility-scale Wind projects in Rural LA County
18. Setting
19. Setting
20. Interview material
21. Interview material
22. Conclusion
Chapter 8: Epilogue

Bibliography

Appendix 1: Solar Ranch One Timeline (Siting, Permitting, Financing and Pre-Construction)

Appendix 2: Sample of Community Concerns as Regards to the Solar Ranch One, Alpine, Wildflower and Blue Sky RE projects

Index

End User License Agreement

List of Illustrations

Chapter 2

Figure 2.1 “Proposed Current and Complementary Goals, Strategies and Values of US Engineering Culture.” Adapted from McIsaac and Morey (1998): 114.
Figure 2.2 WEPSD leadership: Hatch, Strong, Carroll, and Roberts. Adapted from Unknown. “Momentum Gathers for Sustainable Development.” ASCE News 18, no. 6 (1993): 6.
Figure 2.3 “‘Mr. Cool’ himself … a leader, planner and ‘deep thinker.’” Jim Poirot was described by his CH2M Hill colleagues as having “dedicated himself to advancement of the profession.” Adapted from Engineering News Record, February 18, (1988): 30–31.

Chapter 3

Figure 3.1 “Examples of the elements which may contribute to development of an expert-like understanding of sustainability.” Adapted from Carew and Mitchell (2002): 353.
Figure 3.2 Manipulators of the environment. ESR’s original logo as it appeared in their first newsletter in July 1983. ESR (New Zealand) had also conceptualized engineering work as contributing not only to human but also to the planet’s welfare. Image by, and courtesy of, Gerry Te Kapa Coates.

Chapter 4

Figure 4.1 “Handprints: A Remedy for Reputation Risk.” Image courtesy of the Social Hotspots Database, SHDB.
Figure 4.2 Kranzberg’s proposition in the context of sustainable technology and SLCA. Image courtesy of Alessandra Zamagni.
Figure 4.3 Frequency of mentions of “Triple Bottom Line,” 1997–2001. Adapted from Elkington (2004): 2.
Figure 4.4 A conceptual hierarchy of SLCA. Image courtesy of Catherine Benoît-Norris.

Chapter 6

Figure 6.1 Public engagement in wind facility development defined as a continuing process occuring throughout the life cycle of a project. Adapted from “Best Practices for Sustainable Wind Energy Development in the Great Lakes Region.” Great Lakes Wind Collaborative. “Best Practices for Sustainable Wind Energy Wind Development in the Great Lakes Region.” Ann Arbor, MI: Great Lakes Wind Collaborative, 2011. <http://glc.org/files/docs/GLWC-BPToolkit-BP07.pdf> Accessed April 27, 2014.
Figure 6.2 First Solar stock chart from the acquisition of Solar Ranch One until the termination of the project’s construction phase in late 2013. Finance.yahoo. “First Solar, Inc. (FSLR).” Undated. <http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=FSLR+Interactive#symbol=FSLR;range=1d> Accessed May 28, 2014.
Figure 6.3 “Solar Ranch One Circus is in town.” Oblivious to local knowledge, Solar Ranch One developers promulgated a misconstrued model of community engagement which, in turn, influenced how WAV locals perceived RE engineering. “Solar Ranch One Circus is in town.” January 21, 2012. <http://www.avhidesert.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=2178> Accessed June 7, 2014.
Figure 6.4 A representation of RE engineering steeped in irony; First Solar accused of having “EIN-GIN-EERS that have edumacation.” “Saturday Feb 23 Solar Ranch One Dust storm RADICAL.” avhidesert, February 23, 2013. http://www.avhidesert.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=2650 Accessed June 16, 2014.
Figure 6.5 A view of dust storms emanating from the Solar Ranch One entrance, March 2013. Photo, courtesy of Robert Kerekes.

Chapter 7

Figure 7.1 “Fairmont Parcelization,” adapted from Pletka, Ryan. “RETI Phase 2 Update Workgroup,” December 10, 2009.
Figure 7.2 Antelope Valley Map. Senn, Evan. “Antelope Valley Art Outpost: Building Community in the High Desert.” KCET.org, March 13, 2015. <http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/los-angeles/antelope-valley-art-outpost-high-desert.html> Accessed May 5, 2015.
Figure 7.3 More than thirty RE projects are planned and/or underway in “Fairmont’s” CREZ 47. Adapted from “2013 Renewable Energy Action Team (REAT) Generation Tracking Projects.”¹ ¹Ibid.
Figure 7.4 FAVOS’ assessment of the Solar Ranch One project’s early development stages. Courtesy of FAVOS.
Figure 7.5 The Solar Ranch One and racetrack project sites. North of the proposed racetrack’s boundaries lies the SMMC property, to the West of the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. The Fairmont-Antelope Butte SEA is located approximately 900 feet southeast of the Solar Ranch One project site. Courtesy of the DMCA.
Figure 7.6 Breeding mistrust and contention in RE project development. NextEra’s Met Tower Notice of Public Hearing was, in fact, not viewable from a public road, placed as it was beyond warning signs reading “No Trespassing” and “Do Not Enter.” Photo, Courtesy of John Calvert, photo editing, Courtesy of Margaret Rhyne.¹⁰¹
Figure 7.7 An unsustainable idea: Element Power’s design proposed the erection of fifty 500-foot-high industrial turbines on the western and southern borders of the Valley’s Poppy Reserve. Image Courtesy of Margaret Rhyne.
Figure 7.8 Challenging developers on their own turf. Comparing Element’s visual simulations of Wildflower with existing solar PV structures in Lancaster, California. Image courtesy of Susan Zahnter.

Chapter 8

Figure 8.1 “Sustainability, quality of life and culture” features as potential topic of discussion in ASCE conferences alongside “Social LCAs,” “The business case for social responsibility” and “Using design charrettes on infrastructure projects.”
Figure 8.2 Bounding Life Cycle Assessment Measurement.

List of Tables

Chapter 1

Table 1.1 Rational bases for engineering ideologies of sustainability

Chapter 3

Table 3.1 Operating principles of engineering ideologies of sustainability.

Chapter 5

Table 5.1 Entwined ontological, epistemological and methodological anxieties in determining SLCA indicators.
Table 5.2 What is SLCA for?
Table 5.3 Change provoked by SLCAs.*
Table 5.4 Between Technological Change and Technopolitics: The Rationality of SLCA.

Chapter 6

Table 6.1 LGP financial support to solar energy projects.*
Table 6.2 RE developers’ notions and the resulting paradox of “community engagement”.

Chapter 7

Table 7.1 Indicative list of RE projects in the WAV, multiple sources and interview data.
Table 7.2 History, Geography, and demographics of the WAV.
Table 7.3 California’s inaugural utility-scale solar PV projects.
Table 7.4 California’s proposed inaugural utility-scale wind projects.

This edition first published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA and Scrivener Publishing LLC, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 541J, Beverly, MA 01915, USA
© 2018 Scrivener Publishing LLC
For more information about Scrivener publications please visit www.scrivenerpublishing.com.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except as permitted by law. Advice on how to obtain permission to reuse material from this title is available at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Wiley Global Headquarters
111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA

For details of our global editorial offices, customer services, and more information about Wiley products visit us at www.wiley.com.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty
While the publisher and authors have used their best efforts in preparing this work, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives, written sales materials, or promotional statements for this work. The fact that an organization, website, or product is referred to in this work as a citation and/or potential source of further information does not mean that the publisher and authors endorse the information or services the organization, website, or product may provide or recommendations it may make. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a specialist where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Further, readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN 978-1-119-41816-0

Acknowledgements

I have enjoyed a rare privilege over the last seven years.

Thank you, Professor Alastair Iles of the University of California at Berkeley, for making this project possible. Your presence in my life has been a true blessing! Thank you Professor Matthew Wisnioski and Professor Gary Downey for making such intellectual and professional trajectories imaginable. My thanks also go to Professor David Winickoff who chaired my orals examination committee in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and who read this manuscript.

It was indeed a rare privilege to study under Professor Laura Nader, as it has been an honor to work under Professor Carolyn Merchant.

For editing and excellent commentary I am indebted to Alastair Iles, Matthew Wisnioski, Bettina Lewis, and Martin O’Brien. For inspiration I am grateful to Juan Lucena, Donna Riley, Caroline Baillie, and Dustin Mulvaney.

Jordan Willis, thank you for your hard work in transcribing hundreds of hours of interview material.

Δημήτρη Σακελλαρίου, Νιούσκα Σακελλαρίου, Νικόλα Λαρεντζάκη, Αγνή Ιωάννου, Δάφνη Λαρεντζάκη; mi familia Mexicana Casavantes y Ambrosius: I can see your love in every page of this manuscript.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. 1354545. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Last but not least, in the past five years, more than 150 engineers and lay experts have shared with me their stories, archives, personal and professional documents and their vision for a more “sustainable” or socially mindful engineering practitioner. This project is theirs, including Tom Munsey, Jim Evans, Greg McIsaac, John Peet, and Gerry Te Kapa Coates.

Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Systems

Closing the Ethical Loophole of Social Sustainability

Acknowledgements

Part I
ENGINEERING AND SUSTAINABILITY