Reframing energy as a commons necessitates a radically different techno-institutional foundation for a just and sustainable energy transformation. This paper presentation reports on research on the energy commons, identifying known and potential tensions and contradictions for their realization. A review of literature reveals what is common (or not) in energy commons research and practice across material, institutional, and cultural dimensions. These patterns in turn point toward contradictions related to inclusion and exclusion, Western-centric and pluriversal perspectives, decentralized and coordinated governance, local and extended technological systems, and oppositional and complementary relations to capitalist markets and states. We then propose responses and potential pathways toward resolution of these contradictions, suggesting more integrated and inclusive approaches while recognizing the reality of ongoing conflict in practices of energy commoning. While the energy commons may overlap with frameworks such as energy justice, energy citizenship, and energy democracy, they provide a distinct lens through which to critique and expand existing energy arrangements and achieve alternative energy futures.
