Understanding justice regarding renewable energy projects : role of social norms, local actors and genders

A shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy technologies is crucial for reaching climate neutrality goals. Achieving this transition requires policy-makers, industry stakeholders, and civil societies to cooperate and support each other. Despite ambitious policy reforms and incentives toward low-carbon energy technologies, the deployment of projects is not exempt from encounters with local conflicts. A better understanding of communities' claims, concerns, and needs is essential for supporting appropriate energy projects. This study examines three pillars of environmental justice claims – distributive, procedural, and recognition – concerning renewable energy projects through three research papers. Paper 1 intends to conceptualize the role of social norms concerning justice concerns. Results show that justice claims towards energy projects – whether participation in planning or financial benefits – are linked with the community's social norms (i.e., expectations of others). Project developers may examine the contextual conditions of localities and use communication strategies that align with the community's perceived sense of fairness. Paper 2 focuses on local political actors (i.e., mayors and council members) as influencing factors of community norms by comparing four German case studies. Reporting on two successfully implemented and two conflicted wind energy projects, the findings define the municipal mayors as key actors who may mediate and lead the process. Even though the support of mayors alone cannot guarantee acceptance, their responsibilities should be reinforced and supported by energy policies and project developers. Paper 3 investigates the recognition justice aspect of renewable energy cooperatives in Germany, which are pillars of decentralized energy sources. A sex ratio analysis of over three hundred cooperatives, a survey, and interviews reveal that only a small proportion of the public (i.e., older and middle-class men) dominate the energy cooperatives in Germany, and several other social groups, including women, are underrepresented. Findings also highlight that reluctance to address gender inequality stereotypes women as uninspired, unwilling, and lacking technical skills to take on leadership roles. This paper presents recommendations to energy cooperatives and policy-makers for government-supported programs for cooperatives to attract more women and a broader range of social groups. In summary, these results show that environmental justice concerns of societies can take different forms, ranging from responses to energy projects according to group norms to embedded inequalities within the distribution of benefits from the energy transition.Eine Umstellung von fossilen Brennstoffen auf erneuerbare Energietechnologien ist entscheidend, um die Klimaneutralitätsziele zu erreichen. Zur Umsetzung dieser Umstellung ist eine Zusammenarbeit und Unterstützung zwischen politischen Entscheidungsträgern, Industrieakteuren und Zivilgesellschaften erforderlich. Trotz ambitionierter politischer Reformen und Anreize für energiearme Technologien bleibt die Umsetzung von Projekten nicht von lokalen Konflikten verschont. Ein besseres Verständnis der Ansprüche, Bedenken und Bedürfnisse der Gemeinden ist unerlässlich, um angemessene Energieprojekte zu unterstützen. Diese Studie untersucht drei Säulen der Umweltgerechtigkeitsansprüche - distributiv, prozedural und anerkennend - im Zusammenhang mit erneuerbaren Energieprojekten durch drei Forschungspapiere. Papier 1 beabsichtigt, die Rolle sozialer Normen in Bezug auf Gerechtigkeitsbedenken zu konzeptualisieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Gerechtigkeitsansprüche gegenüber Energieprojekten - ob Teilnahme an der Planung oder finanzielle Vorteile - mit den sozialen Normen der Gemeinschaft verbunden sind (d. h. Erwartungen anderer). Projektentwickler können die kontextuellen Bedingungen der Orte prüfen und Kommunikationsstrategien nutzen, die den geschätzten Erwartungen der Gemeinschaft entsprechen, was als fair empfunden wird. Papier 2 konzentriert sich auf lokale politische Akteure (z. B. Bürgermeister und Ratsmitglieder) als Einflussfaktoren auf Gemeinschaftsnormen durch den Vergleich von vier deutschen Fallstudien. Die Ergebnisse definieren die Bürgermeister der Gemeinden als Schlüsselakteure, die den Prozess vermitteln und führen können. Obwohl die Unterstützung allein durch Bürgermeister keine Akzeptanz garantieren kann, sollten ihre Verantwortlichkeiten durch Energiepolitiken und Projektentwickler verstärkt und unterstützt werden. Paper 3 untersucht den Aspekt der Anerkennungsgerechtigkeit von Erneuerbare-Energie- Genossenschaften in Deutschland, die als Säulen dezentraler Energiequellen gelten. Eine Geschlechterverhältnisanalyse von über dreihundert Genossenschaften, eine Umfrage und Interviews zeigen, dass nur ein kleiner Teil der Bevölkerung (d. h. ältere und mittelständische Männer) die Energiegenossenschaften in Deutschland dominieren und mehrere andere soziale Gruppen, einschließlich Frauen, unterrepräsentiert sind. Die Ergebnisse zeigen auch, dass die Zurückhaltung, Geschlechterungleichheit anzugehen, Frauen als uninspiriert, unwillig und technisch unqualifiziert darstellt, um Führungspositionen zu übernehmen. Dieses Papier präsentiert Empfehlungen für Energiegenossenschaften und politische Entscheidungsträger für regierungsunterstützte Programme für Genossenschaften, um mehr Frauen und eine breitere Palette sozialer Gruppen anzulocken. Zusammenfassend zeigen diese Ergebnisse, dass Umweltgerechtigkeitsfragen der Gesellschaft unterschiedliche Formen annehmen können, von Reaktionen auf Energieprojekte gemäß Gruppennormen bis hin zu eingebetteten Ungleichheiten bei der Verteilung von Vorteilen aus dem Energiewandel.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme - Marie Skłodowska-Curie actio

Exploring the interaction between social norms and perceived justice of wind energy projects: a qualitative analysis

The deployment of wind energy projects (WEP) within the process of energy transition changes energy landscapes and daily living environments. With regard to social acceptance as one social response towards WEP, the role of different aspects of justice (i.e. procedural, distributive, recognition) has been discussed. This study highlights the importance of social norms and their influence on perceived justice regarding WEP, which has been neglected in the literature so far. The relationship between social norms and perceived justice is explored as a conceptual framework through a systematic literature review and expert interviews. This framework aims to explain how social norms and their relationship with justice are defined, interlinked and how they affect perceptions of WEP. The results argue that social norms surface in situations where all the key elements of a project are decided without public impact. Thus, norms of fairness emerge under uncertain situations with the influence of similar emotions within groups. Moreover, social norms and perceived justice would explain several responses, such as local conflicts, or the motivation to further develop WEP. This study concludes by discussing the applicability of the framework, which needs further analysis as an analytical tool and deeper empirical investigation.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie action grant agreement No 813837

The mayor said so? The impact of local political figures and social norms on local responses to wind energy projects

Wind energy plays an important role in the energy transition. However, many wind energy projects result in conflicts at the local level. Mayors and local council members are key actors who can play a supportive, moderating, escalating, or mediating role in siting decisions about wind energy. Further, communities' social norms encapsulate their beliefs about what a wind energy project should be like. Alongside public expectations, these norms indicate the layers of cultural dynamics and standards of communities. Hence, this study investigates the dynamics of local responses to wind energy projects and their outcomes. This is achieved through an empirical-qualitative approach in which the experiences of four Bavarian case studies in Germany are illustrated using document analysis and in-depth interviews. The results of this study indicate that mayors play a crucial role in local responses to wind energy projects in Bavaria. Their support is necessary but not sufficient for local acceptance. Other stakeholders, next to project characteristics and communication, as well as external events, also have an impact on local responses over time. The paper concludes with lessons learned about communication and information strategies, as the study has implications for policymakers and practitioners in relation to designing and planning wind energy projects.Marie Skłodowska-Curie action programme MISTRAL projec

A cooperative of their own: Gender implications on renewable energy cooperatives in Germany

Renewable energy cooperatives are crucial for local communities to initiate energy transition. With a mixed-methodological approach, this paper analyses the participation of women in renewable energy cooperatives in Germany and reveals the socio-cultural barriers. This study presents an intersectional analysis that integrates gender with other socio-cultural categories and identities within the social context of cooperatives. This study presents the results from a sex ratio analysis of energy cooperatives (N=388), online interviews (N=161), and semi-structured interviews (N=9). Results show that a lack of awareness of opportunities, financial resources, and time for volunteer-based workload and the lack of recognition of social inequalities in the cooperatives hinder women from actively taking part in leadership roles. This study concludes by discussing how contribution to localised renewable energy production reflects differently on genders. It also provides suggestions such as mentorship and diversity programs that would allow more women to take management roles and encourage a more inclusive and fair transition for all.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie action grant agreement No 813837 MISTRAL Project