Research Projects
An updated framework on community acceptance of renewable energy infrastructures – Practical guidelines for solar plants as a case study
The green energy transition is being promoted around the world as key to tackle climate change. However, as it is increasingly fostered and associated measures implemented, such as the deployment of renewable energy infrastructures (REI), contestation also has risen. Social sciences’ research has attempted to analyze and understand this relevant social issue in the last decades and proposed several and distinct conceptual frameworks for that. The NIMBY (Not in my backyard) framework has been one of the most widespread and well-known frameworks for explaining opposition specifically to REI but is being increasingly questioned by more recent frameworks that emphasize instead the roles of issues of (in)justice in REI related decision-making processes and policies and their impact on negative responses to these infrastructures. However, the proliferation of conceptual frameworks on energy justice and related issues regarding REI has been immense in recent years and it is difficult to, from a practical and empirical perspective, understand how exactly their relevant insights and contributions can be applied to particular REI projects and decision-making. This project aims to contribute to that by conducting a systematic academic and grey literature review of the most recent literature on community responses to renewable energy and associated infrastructures. For this, solar energy and associated infrastructures will be particularly focused, as an expanding and crucial technology within the renewable energy transition, namely in countries like Portugal and Switzerland. Based on this literature review we will then propose an integrated framework to be discussed and validated with key experts and stakeholders in the area. Based on these two previous tasks, the end goal of this project is to deliver a handbook with guidelines for policymakers, energy companies and local communities, on best practices for the successful deployment of REI, particularly solar.
Project Information
2024-04-01
2025-11-30
Project Partners