Wind2050 - Multidisciplinary study on local acceptance and development of wind power projects

Wind power systems are expected to contribute significantly to Danish fossil free energy production by 2050. Despite initiatives aimed at increasing public participation and local acceptance, both public and private bodies continue to experience an increasing lack of local acceptance of wind power projects. This has been a common issue across Europe, with the factors driving and influencing acceptance appearing to differ depending on economic, political and cultural context. The Wind2050 project is unique in that it will draw on international
experience to understand the dynamics of local acceptance of both off-shore and land based wind energy projects in DK and compare these with projects in Ireland and United Kingdom focusing on the institutional and regulatory context as well as technical and social aspects in project development. The project seeks to examine both the factors that influence local acceptance and the influence of governance, project development and deployment of wind power. The project applies an interactive, research framework involving researchers from legal, social, economic and technical sciences who continuous exchange knowledge with end-users (authorities, industry, interest organizations, citizens and other local actors). The overall analytical perspective considers wind power facilities as socio-technical systems, which allows the work packages to use different scientific perspectives and methods in order to understand why and how different institutions, regulations, actors and perceptions induce or block deployment of wind power. The analyses are finally integrated in strategic scenarios, which provide recommendations and decision support for future deployment of wind power and other
renewable energy sources.