De Luca; Elena, Nardi; C., Giuffrida, L.G; Krug, M. and M. R Di Nucci (2020). Explaining Factors Leading to Community Acceptance of Wind Energy. Results of an Expert Assessment. Energies 2020, 13(8), 2119; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13082119

The present article deals with two key drivers of social acceptance of wind energy: procedural justice and distributional justice. It is based on a comparative expert assessment carried out in the frame of the Horizon 2020 project WinWind covering six European countries. The focus of the paper is on procedural and financial participation of citizens and local stakeholders in wind energy projects. The first part covers institutional arrangements for public engagement in two areas of the decision-making process—wind turbine zoning/siting in spatial plans and authorization procedures. Here, three levels of public involvement—information, consultation and participation—were analyzed. The second part examines active and financial participation of citizens and local stakeholders. Here, we distinguish between two different modes of governance: institutionalized forms of public governance and voluntary forms of corporate governance. The outcomes suggest that concrete paths to the social acceptance of wind energy are fostered via appropriate institutional spaces for public engagement. Furthermore, missing opportunities for active and passive financial participation can have strong negative consequences for community acceptance.

Krug, M.; Di Nucci, M.R. (2020): Citizens at the heart of energy transition in Europe? Opportunities and Challenges for Community Wind Farms in six European Countries. Renewable Energy Law Policy Review 2020, 9, 9–27.

This article has a specific focus on community wind energy. It is based on the preliminary findings of the Horizon 2020 project WinWind, which analyses acceptance factors of wind energy projects in so called wind energy scarce regions of six European countries (Germany, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Spain). The paper assesses the status of community wind energy in these six countries and discusses key challenges and opportunities for renewable energy communities. Furthermore, the paper asks to what extent these countries are shaping enabling frameworks for community energy projects and whether national support schemes for renewable energy take into consideration the specific characteristics of the renewable energy communities, particularly in the field of wind energy.