Empowered but powerless? Reassessing the citizens’ power dynamics of the German energy transition

Abstract

As citizens in Germany are increasingly protesting against wind power plants, participating in planning processes, or supporting wind power plants financially, their role in the energy transition, especially their power on the local level needs to be thoroughly examined. Using an actor-centric framework, this case study analyzes the power of citizens in the context of the planning process of four wind power plants in the south of Germany. While so far, the general approach towards citizens was not differentiated, this paper proposes a distinction of citizens, based upon the social and local position relevant in the planning process. Most citizens can exert soft means of power, such as influencing local discourses or appealing towards local incumbents to implement their concerns. Citizens in Special Positions have the most possibilities as they own land, are wealthy, or in official positions themselves. Nevertheless, citizens are not official actors, and their power is highly dependent on local circumstances, the presence of key actors, and the capability of local incumbents.