Beyond a Standardized Energy Justice Model: Culture, Context, and Community Agency in a Student-Led Comparative Case Study of Community Solar in Los Angeles and Medellín

Through a student-led comparative analysis of community solar initiatives in Los Angeles, California, and Medellín, Colombia, this study examines the assumption that energy justice can be achieved through a replicable model. This case study examines two divergent systemic structures: a top-down, utility-sponsored framework in California optimized for economic efficiency and passive participation, and a bottom-up, collectively owned system in Colombia centered on technical literacy and social empowerment. Initial attempts to derive a replicable implementation template revealed that project “success” is not necessarily a product of technical design but is determined by unique social infrastructures and cultural norms regarding collectivity. While the California case successfully provides financial relief to disadvantaged households through institutional management, the Medellín case demonstrates how community energy can catalyze civic engagement, collective empowerment, and environmental stewardship. By moving beyond techno-optimistic narratives that treat social contexts as variables to be adapted, this research emphasizes the necessity of localized, socio-technical frameworks. By engaging with this case, readers will be able to identify the limitations of a standardized policy framework in energy justice and evaluate how social frameworks affect the context-specific outcomes of renewable energy projects.