Objective numbers in energy research: Trust, order, governing and methodology

To expand the discussion on energy research methods, this article unpacks some of the oppositions created and encountered while investigating energy 'at the coalface'. It sheds light on uneasy encounters that are framed through the use and employment of numbers. Numbers are utilised as a rhetoric and power-political tool, especially in fields related to engineering and natural sciences. They emerge as a quantitative representation for objectivity and are used as a technology of governance. Understanding and critically examining how numbers work and are being worked in energy systems provides a reflection on and recommendations of how researchers can deal with allegedly objective numbers in on-the-ground research to enable a more nuanced and less restraint convergence of views from natural and social sciences.

Automated summary

This article explores the oppositions and challenges encountered in energy research, particularly in relation to the use of numbers. It highlights how numbers are employed as a rhetoric and power-political tool, especially in engineering and natural sciences. Understanding and critically examining the role of numbers in energy systems allows researchers to reflect on and provide recommendations for dealing with allegedly objective numbers in on-the-ground research, facilitating a more nuanced and less constrained convergence of views from natural and social sciences.