Trends in Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy Across Europe-A Literature Review.

Marco Segreto,Laura Tomassetti,Patrizio Tratzi,Alexandra Desormeaux,Valerio Paolini,Marco Torre,Lucas Principe,Francesco Petracchini

doi:10.3390/ijerph17249161

Abstract

Social acceptance has proven to be a significant barrier in the implementation of renewable energy systems (hereinafter “RES”). While a general acceptance of RES is high, low local acceptance has hindered the development of renewable energy projects (hereinafter “REP”). This study assesses the determinants of local and general social acceptance of REP across Europe through a qualitative analysis from 25 case studies of the most significant social drivers and barriers that include all European countries. These case studies contain qualitative and quantitative analyses of the main factors for social acceptance of many representative groups including residents, stakeholders, and experts. Understanding the influences of social acceptance enables us to create strategies that will promote the development of REP by mitigating any public opposition.

Highlights

Due to the threat of climate change, the growing concerns on upward trends in emissions of climate-forcing atmospheric pollutants (i.e., CO2 and CH4 ) and the need to secure energy independence has led the European Union to negotiate a new Renewable Energy Directive in 2018 to solicit its Member States to undertake a concerted action aiming to transform Europe into a global leader in a variety of renewable energy sectors
The following section will cover the main determinants in the social acceptance of renewable energy technology
The study states that acceptance could increase if a community participated in designing financial participation models, project leaders may not always be willing to discuss the specifications of financial participation with the local population

Summary

Introduction

Due to the threat of climate change, the growing concerns on upward trends in emissions of climate-forcing atmospheric pollutants (i.e., CO2 and CH4 ) and the need to secure energy independence has led the European Union to negotiate a new Renewable Energy Directive (hereinafter “RED II”) in 2018 to solicit its Member States to undertake a concerted action aiming to transform Europe into a global leader in a variety of renewable energy sectors. The climate and energy framework require by 2030 a minimum 40% decrease in greenhouse gas emission levels and an improvement in energy efficiency by 27%. While these targets may seem too ambitious at first, it is important to realize that the RED II calls only for total energy production of 27% across the entire European Union by 2030; this does not mean that each Member State needs to supply 27% of their energy from renewables by 2030. Different countries, with different energy infrastructures and histories, have pledged different targets

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