Tell me an (un)fortunate story: Advancing storytelling methods in energy futures research

This article explores the potential of storytelling as a method in energy futures studies, advancing creative and participatory practices to envision alternative energy visions of the future. It addresses the challenges and opportunities of using storytelling, highlighting its ability to engage diverse people, deepen our understanding of socio-technical energy systems, and centre community perspectives on energy discussions. To demonstrate this approach, I examine a storytelling game called “Tell me an (un)fortunate story”, which was used to explore the futures of Mexico City’s municipal public markets and their energy systems, during the COVID-19 pandemic. I conclude that storytelling is a valuable tool for exploring the futures of energy systems, as it can be a playful and flexible method with unique strengths when it comes to positioning laypeople’s visions and voices at the centre. This article advances storytelling as a valuable yet underutilized mode of inquiry and contributes to the development of creative and participatory tools in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary energy futures research. • Storytelling foregrounds the possibility of shifting who holds power to speak and who listens in transformation. • Storytelling can blur the lines between factual-imaginary, technical-social, rational-emotional, expert-lay in energy futures. • Alternative visions, like those found in vendors' stories, prove 'laypeople' hold imaginaries beyond techno-economic futures.