How Do Stakeholders Perceive Barriers to Large-Scale Wind Power Diffusion? A Q-Method Case Study from Ceará State, Brazil

Cláudio Albuquerque Frate,Christian Brannstrom

doi:10.3390/en12112063

Cláudio Albuquerque Frate, Christian Brannstrom

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/en12112063

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Abstract

High penetration of renewable power requires technical, organizational, and political changes. We use Q-method, a qualitative–quantitative technique, to identify and analyze views held by key actors on challenges for large-scale diffusion of wind power in Ceará State, Brazil, an early leader in wind power with 2.05 GW installed capacity. Four quantitatively determined social perspectives were identified with regard to views on challenges for wind power expansion: (1) failing because of the grid; (2) environmental challenges; (3) planning for wind, and (4) participating in wind. Each social perspective emphasizes a different array of barriers, such as cost of new transmission lines, transformation of a hydro-thermal mental model, predictive capacity for wind energy, and the need for participatory forum. Understanding the subjective views of stakeholders is a key first step in eventually reducing these barriers to renewable power penetration through diverse policy interventions.

Highlights

Governments and investors have made considerable efforts to increase penetration of renewable power, but uptake is low compared to potential [1,2]
This social perspective embodies analysis of large-scale wind-power diffusion in Northeastern Brazil that emphasized the need for upgrades to transmission infrastructure “to allow for interstate balancing in order to avoid curtailment of excess wind energy” [22] (p. 413)
The four observed social perspectives and supporting arguments present a different understanding of how stakeholders understand barriers and challenges

Summary

Introduction

Governments and investors have made considerable efforts to increase penetration of renewable power, but uptake is low compared to potential [1,2]. Organizational, market, environmental, and social factors are barriers to renewable power penetration [3]. Institutional barriers to renewable power penetration include statutory-regulatory frameworks and “norms, values, cognitive frameworks, and regulations” [4] The technical–institutional paradigm change in the traditional power sector is considered important because renewable energy technologies demand structural, social, organizational, and economic changes [5,6,7,8]. 12236) and have claimed that “pre-existing infrastructure, both physical and institutional,” impedes adoption of new power generation technologies [10] We ask stakeholders in one region about barriers to wind-power diffusion using the qualitative–quantitative Q-method as a means of empirically determining subjective views

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion