Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Applied Energy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apenergy Solar energy justice: A case-study analysis of Saskatchewan, Canada Brett D. Dolter a, ⁎ , Martin Boucher b a Institute of the Environment, University of Ottawa, Canada b School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Canada HIGHLIGHTS • Case study of solar energy justice in Saskatchewan Canada. • Deliberative dialogue methodology used to design solar programs. • Cross-subsidization is a key challenge to solar energy program designs. • Centering due process as a core element of the energy justice decision-making tool can help to achieve energy justice. ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Energy justice Solar energy Decision making Deliberative dialogue Due process ABSTRACT Our study investigates solar energy justice in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. In 2017, we were engaged by the Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SaskPower), a government owned electric utility, to conduct stake- holder engagement workshops for the development of new solar energy programs in Saskatchewan. In co- ordination with SaskPower we developed a deliberative dialogue approach to the consultation process. Select stakeholders were invited to participate in a half-day workshop. In this workshop participants were asked for input on the principles that would guide SaskPower’s solar energy strategy, the barriers that prevent solar energy from being installed in the province, and their ideas for effective solar energy programs. Participants worked in small groups to design solar energy programs, creating opportunities for mutual learning and deliberation. This research is the first application of deliberative dialogue to the design of solar energy programs of which we are aware and offers an example of due process in the program design stage of energy planning. We use an energy justice decision-making (Sovacool et al., 2014) tool to evaluate the process of designing SaskPower’s solar energy strategy and the content of recommendations made by participants to answer the question, can due process help to achieve energy justice? Participants in our deliberative dialogue suggested guiding principles that were si- milar to the dimensions of the energy justice decision-making tool. The deliberative process also highlighted tensions between dimensions of the energy justice decision-making tool. In this paper, we suggest avenues to improve the deliberative dialogue process and conclude that centering due process as a core element of the energy justice decision-making tool can help to achieve energy justice. Our results contribute to the growing field of study on how deliberative dialogue can allow for better decisions in complex fields such as energy policy. 1. Introduction Renewable energy installations have significantly outpaced expecta- tions by notable forecasters [1]. To advance a more sustainable future it will be important to incorporate energy technologies that are more en- vironmentally benign. However, technological innovations within the electricity system have significant societal impacts [2,3]. Traditional ap- proaches to analyzing renewable energy have often focused on en- gineering and economics. A focus on the energy justice implications of technologies like solar panels will likely improve social outcomes as these novel technologies are incorporated into the electricity system [4,5]. In this vein, our study applies an energy justice framework to a case study of solar energy program design. The aim of our paper is twofold: first, we provide a case study of a solar energy program design that embodies the energy justice principle of due process; and second, we assess the value of Sovacool and Dworkin’s energy justice framework by applying it in a real- world policy-making context [6]. In January of 2017 we were engaged by SaskPower to conduct sta- keholder engagement workshops for the development of new solar energy programs in Saskatchewan. In coordination with SaskPower we https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.04.088 Received 2 October 2017; Received in revised form 14 April 2018; Accepted 27 April 2018 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: brett.dolter@uregina.ca (B.D. Dolter). Applied Energy 225 (2018) 221–232 0306-2619/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T