The design of energy technologies as a value-sensitive project

Abstract

This article investigates the philosophical foundations of technological design in the context of the energy transition. It argues that energy constitutes an unavoidable technological problem of modernity. However, beyond a technical challenge, this imperative presents itself as a complex philosophical problem, demanding critical reflection on its underlying ends and values. Given the inevitability of the expansion and diversification of the energy matrix, the central question shifts from the technical “how” to the ethical and sociotechnical “why” and “for what purpose.” The analysis demonstrates that the conception, implementation, and disposal of energy technologies are sociotechnical practices saturated with values, materializing worldviews, societal projects, and hierarchies of power. It is concluded that the energy transition cannot be guided exclusively by techno-economic criteria, at the risk of reproducing asymmetries and negative externalities. As an alternative, the article proposes the construction of a multidimensional normative framework—sensitive to ethical, environmental, and cultural values—and the adoption of an approach capable of articulating value-based tensions. Finally, it is argued that energy development should be guided by the principle of practical wisdom, understood here as a normative planning that requires prudential deliberation among multiple conflicting values, articulating technical, ethical, environmental, and social dimensions in socio-technical decision-making. This principle is not reduced to a fixed set of rules, but operates as a reflective competence capable of evaluating concrete contexts and guiding responsible choices in technological design.