Read all about it! Comparing media discourse on energy storage in Canada and the United Kingdom in a transition era

Abstract

Energy storage (ES), both grid-scale and behind-the-meter, will depend largely upon domestic acceptance of the technology in the public sphere. Recognizing the role that media play in this socio-technical process, we compare national news discourse on ES in Canada and the United Kingdom in an energy transition context. We combine the Socio-Political Evaluation of Energy Deployment (SPEED) framework with content analysis methods to evaluate 494 ES articles drawn from top-circulating national newspapers between 2008 and 2017. Comparing benefit/risk framing, narrative use, valence, and other reporting patterns, we consider how cross-national variations in media discourse reflect unique domestic contexts and priorities for ES adoption. We then examine how these discursive trends may drive or hinder ES adoption in the two countries and assess the broader role of news media in energy system change. We find that the case of ES demonstrates: (1) how energy innovations associated with socio-technical sustainability transitions are receiving increasing attention in national media outlets; (2) that techno-optimism is important for energy system change; and (3) that domestic contexts are critical for understanding media coverage of such novel technologies. These findings help to inform our understanding of public perceptions and adoption of ES in both countries, and thus support future research and public communication around ES as an energy transition technology.