Regional variation in public acceptance of wind energy development in Europe: What are the roles of planning procedures and participation?

Abstract

Highlights  We conducted an expert survey about wind energy resistance in planning.  Resistance links to planning quality in four supra-national European regions.  Landscape encroachment is a major reason for resistance in most European regions.  Lack of social justice ranks high in East-and South-Europe.  Comprehensive strategic planning potentially reduces problems with resistance.

A new perspective on global renewable energy systems: why trade in energy carriers matters

“…37 While most regions in principle have sufficient land available for WWS generation due to low land requirements of WWS fuels (Table 1), a lack of social acceptance associated with the deployment of the WWS infrastructure is already observed today in some regions. 38 The relation between social acceptance and density of WWS infrastructure is therefore crucial for understanding their future spatial distribution. Acceptance may remain constant with the penetration level of WWS, if a strong shifting baseline phenomenon 39 in the perception of renewable infrastructure is present.…”

“…In Europe, which has the highest WWS spatial density globally, conflicts due to critical impacts of large-scale infrastructure, in particular wind turbines, on the aesthetic perceptions of landscapes, and on the environment are already observed today. 38 Some conflicts are however also related to trust and planning procedures, and can be partly mitigated by better sharing of information, by participatory processes in decision making, 40 and by improving procedural justice. 41 Additionally, conflicts are also present in regions with much lower WWS generation per area compared to Europe, such as the United States 42 and Brazil, which is a promising exporting country from the Global South.…”

The politics of energy landscapes: the influence of local anti-wind initiatives on state policies in Saxony, Germany

“…[6]), planning procedures and participation (e.g. [7]), community involvement and developer transparency (e.g. [8]), organisation and ownership (e.g.…”

Das Jahrhundertprojekt der Nachhaltigkeit am Scheideweg:

“…Im Rahmen von Untersuchungen zur Akzeptanz und Partizipation im Kontext der Energiewende wurden Defizite hinsichtlich aller drei Dimensionen identifiziert (Hildebrand et al 2017). Insbesondere der inhaltlich-prozessualen Qualität von Beteiligungsverfahren (Prinzipien der Ausgewogenheit, Fairness, Transparenz, Verhältnismäßigkeit) wird eine entscheidende Bedeutung für die Akzeptanz beigemessen (Suškevičs et al 2019). Zweifelsohne ist an diesen (potentiell) legitimationsstiftenden Funktionen nicht zu rütteln.…”