A Place-Based Feminist Approach to Decolonizing Energy Planning: Developing a Community-Based Evaluation Tool for Molokaʻi

Contemporary energy systems are deficient in meeting energy justice objectives for many communities in Hawaiʻi. This is especially true for remote and marginalized communities, such as the predominantly kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) community of Molokaʻi. On the island of Molokaʻi, an energy cooperative was formed in 2020 to advance energy sovereignty for its residents. To counter the traditional Western colonial methods of assessing energy projects, the Cooperative with the assistance of community and university partners analyzed, deconstructed, and reconstructed the Feminist Energy Systems framework to develop an evaluation tool that prioritizes Indigenous and place-based knowledge. The evaluation tool provides a real-world example of how energy planning practitioners can develop place-based and culturally relevant frameworks that support decolonial efforts and Indigenous sovereignty. This paper discusses the Ho’ahu Energy Cooperative’s development of an evaluation tool that addresses its need for a way to assess energy projects based on the Indigenous Hawaiian values of aloha ʻāina, kuleana, and pono. Using Indigenous principles to customize Feminist Energy Systems framework, the final evaluation tool incorporates place-based values and feminist approaches into the Cooperative’s energy planning processes, which allows the Cooperative to articulate the costs and benefits of an energy project based on what is important to them, to their broader community, and to outside stakeholders. This evaluation tool facilitates a more holistic approach to the economic value of energy projects, builds community capacity for energy project evaluation, and centers cultural values in the assessment of the project. The development of this tool serves as an example of the pursuit of energy sovereignty by an Indigenous community and furthers feminist energy systems theory through the incorporation of an Indigenous place-based component.