Trends in Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy Across Europe—A Literature Review

Social acceptance has proven to be a significant barrier in the implementation of renewable energy systems (hereinafter “RES”). While a general acceptance of RES is high, low local acceptance has hindered the development of renewable energy projects (hereinafter “REP”). This study assesses the determinants of local and general social acceptance of REP across Europe through a qualitative analysis from 25 case studies of the most significant social drivers and barriers that include all European countries. These case studies contain qualitative and quantitative analyses of the main factors for social acceptance of many representative groups including residents, stakeholders, and experts. Understanding the influences of social acceptance enables us to create strategies that will promote the development of REP by mitigating any public opposition.

[1]  D. Horst,et al.  National renewable energy policy and local opposition in the UK: the failed development of a biomass electricity plant , 2004 .

[2]  A. Jobert,et al.  Local acceptance of wind energy: Factors of success identified in French and German case studies , 2007 .

[3]  Joyce McLaren Loring,et al.  Wind energy planning in England, Wales and Denmark: Factors influencing project success , 2007 .

[4]  Rolf Wüstenhagen,et al.  Social acceptance of renewable energy innovation: An introduction to the concept , 2007 .

[5]  D. Horst.  NIMBY or not? Exploring the relevance of location and the politics of voiced opinions in renewable energy siting controversies , 2007 .

[6]  Petra Schweizer-Ries,et al.  Public acceptance of renewable energies: Results from case studies in Germany , 2008 .

[7]  Natalia Magnani.  Exploring the Local Sustainability of a Green Economy in Alpine Communities , 2012 .

[8]  M. Hamdy,et al.  Researching social acceptability of renewable energy technologies in Finland , 2013 .

[9]  Martin Soland,et al.  Local acceptance of existing biogas plants in Switzerland , 2013 .

[10]  Iñaki Heras-Saizarbitoria,et al.  Social acceptance of ocean wave energy: A case study of an OWC shoreline plant , 2013 .

[11]  M. Keck,et al.  Odour Impact by Field Inspections: Method and Results from an Agricultural Biogas Facility , 2014 .

[13]  Paula Varandas Ferreira,et al.  Public opinion on renewable energy technologies in Portugal , 2014 .

[14]  Caterina De Lucia,et al.  Social acceptance of on-shore wind energy in Apulia Region (Southern Italy) , 2015 .

[15]  C. Knight.  Human–Environment Interactions: Case Studies , 2015 .

[16]  V. Paolini,et al.  Gaseous pollutants in the city of Urumqi, Xinjiang: spatial and temporal trends, sources and implications , 2016 .

[17]  A. Capodaglio,et al.  European Framework for the Diffusion of Biogas Uses: Emerging Technologies, Acceptance, Incentive Strategies, and Institutional-Regulatory Support , 2016 .

[18]  W. Fichtner,et al.  Public acceptance and preferences related to renewable energy and grid expansion policy: Empirical insights for Germany , 2016 .

[19]  Vilja Varho,et al.  Futures of distributed small-scale renewable energy in Finland — A Delphi study of the opportunities and obstacles up to 2025 , 2016 .

[20]  Angelo Cecinato,et al.  Influence of transport from urban sources and domestic biomass combustion on the air quality of a mountain area , 2017, Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

[21]  Ana Delicado,et al.  Community perceptions of renewable energies in Portugal: Impacts on environment, landscape and local development , 2016 .

[22]  M. Modica.  Does the construction of biogas plants affect local property values , 2017 .

[23]  Thomas Schauppenlehner,et al.  Patterns of acceptance and non-acceptance within energy landscapes: A case study on wind energy expansion in Austria , 2017 .

[24]  The iconic project: architecture, cities, and capitalist globalization , 2017 .

[25]  M. Segreto,et al.  Environmental impact of biogas: A short review of current knowledge , 2018, Journal of environmental science and health. Part A, Toxic/hazardous substances & environmental engineering.

[26]  Nathalie Dällenbach,et al.  Individual or collective? Community investment, local taxes, and the social acceptance of wind energy in Switzerland , 2019 .

[27]  Boqiang Lin,et al.  Economic, energy and environmental impact of coal-to-electricity policy in China: A dynamic recursive CGE study. , 2020, The Science of the total environment.

[28]  Heidi Rintamäki,et al.  Visions for small-scale renewable energy production on Finnish farms – A Delphi study on the opportunities for new business , 2019, Energy Policy.

[29]  F. Camerin.  From “Ribera Plan” to “Diagonal Mar”, passing through 1992 “Vila Olímpica”. How urban renewal took place as urban regeneration in Poblenou district (Barcelona) , 2019, Land Use Policy.

[30]  Johannes Reichl,et al.  Designing local renewable energy communities to increase social acceptance: Evidence from a choice experiment in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland , 2019, Energy Policy.

[31]  Stanislav Martinát,et al.  Community tensions, participation, and local development: Factors affecting the spatial embeddedness of anaerobic digestion in Poland and the Czech Republic , 2019, Energy Research & Social Science.

[32]  B. Lennon,et al.  Community acceptability and the energy transition: a citizens’ perspective , 2019, Energy, Sustainability and Society.

[33]  M. Prosperi,et al.  Ex ante assessment of social acceptance of small-scale agro-energy system: A case study in southern Italy , 2019, Energy Policy.

[34]  P. Krütli,et al.  Social acceptance of distributed energy systems in Swiss, German, and Austrian energy transitions , 2019, Energy Research & Social Science.

[35]  Stanislav Martinát,et al.  Regional variation in public acceptance of wind energy development in Europe: What are the roles of planning procedures and participation? , 2019, Land Use Policy.

[36]  Angelo Del Giudice,et al.  Wood Chip Drying through the Using of a Mobile Rotary Dryer , 2019, Energies.

[37]  F. Camerin,et al.  Regenerating Bilbao: From "productive industries" to "productive services" , 2019, TERRITORIO.

[38]  M. Krug,et al.  Overcoming Barriers to the Community Acceptance of Wind Energy: Lessons Learnt from a Comparative Analysis of Best Practice Cases across Europe , 2020, Sustainability.

[39]  J. Sauer,et al.  The public's perception of run-of-the-river hydropower across Europe , 2020, Energy Policy.

[40]  Isabelle Anguelovski,et al.  The impact of COVID-19 on public space: an early review of the emerging questions – design, perceptions and inequities , 2020, Cities & Health.

[41]  K. Linnerud,et al.  Community Acceptance of Wind Energy Developments: Experience from Wind Energy Scarce Regions in Europe , 2020, Sustainability.

[42]  G. Fara,et al.  COVID-19 and Cities: from Urban Health strategies to the pandemic challenge. A Decalogue of Public Health opportunities , 2020, Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis.

[43]  P. Upham,et al.  A cognitive mess: Mixed feelings about wind farms on the Danish coast and the emotions of energy infrastructure opposition , 2020, Energy Research & Social Science.

[44]  M. Weil,et al.  Public acceptance of emerging energy technologies in context of the German energy transition , 2020 .

[45]  M. Golobič,et al.  Contentious eye-catchers: Perceptions of landscapes changed by solar power plants in Slovenia , 2020, Renewable Energy.