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Project title

Opportunities and barriers for citizen participation in the energy transition: Onshore wind-energy policy in Ireland

Primary Funding Agency

Irish Research Council

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

Environmental Protection Agency

Lead Organisation

University College Cork (UCC)

Lead Applicant

Julia Le Maitre

Project Abstract

The adoption of climate-friendly technologies is inextricably linked to social acceptance of the infrastructure. Therefore, citizen participation in the energy transition is indispensable. This project considers the case of wind energy, which is increasingly important to the EU’s commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Five elements determine citizen attitudes towards renewable energy infrastructure: (1) awareness of climate change, (2) perceived fairness of decisions, (3) trust in decisionmakers, (4) the associated risks, costs, and benefits of a new project, and (5) the influence of a localised community context. These variables determine public acceptance of privately-owned wind projects which will become increasingly numerous Detailed proposal as European decarbonisation ambitions aggrandize. In Ireland, wind power is the cheapest form of renewable energy and current installed capacity will quadruple by 2030. Top-down streamlining in rural planning means that residents near to wind farms are seldom able to influence or participate on a project. Tangible issues such as shadow flicker and noise are spatially concentrated and is proportionately impact residents living within the immediate vicinity. Under UN Sustainable Development Goals 7, 11 and 13, social justice is a central consideration. Additionally, failure to inspire public buy-in to new wind projects can derail new developments and compounds the challenge of switching society to renewable energy sources. I aim to close the gap in understanding which public participation measures are most important to empower citizen stakeholders residing near wind farms. I will characterise the drivers of public willingness to accept and participate in forthcoming wind projects in Ireland. This analysis will consider the perspectives of local, public and private stakeholders and representative survey data to clarify the implicit trade-offs between social, economic and community needs. Consequently, the recommendations emerging from my proposed project will explicitly quantify the relative merits of these compromises with regards to social acceptance.

Grant Approved

�55,000.00

Research Hub

Climate Change

Research Theme

n/a

Start Date

01/09/2022

Initial Projected Completion Date

31/08/2024