Government must put acceptance at centre of energy policy - think tank

The government must make acceptance issues a key focus of its energy policy to ensure a successful energy transition, think tank Agora Energiewende* and their partner Local Energy Consulting write in a new paper. If Germany is to achieve a renewable share of 65 percent in power consumption by 2030, a constant increase in wind and solar pv capacity will be needed within the next decade, they write. However, onshore wind additions have fallen considerably, particularly because of local opposition. While the government has tried and failed to bring around this minority of very vocal wind turbine opponents, the paper suggests that it would be more promising to repeatedly keep winning over the majority of the population that supports the energy transition and turn passive supports into active ones. To achieve this, politicians must make acceptancy issues a main concern of the energy transition, the researchers conclude.

Wind turbines have become one of the most visible components of Germany's energy transition and increasingly dominate the landscape in many parts of the country. While most people support a roll-out of the technology, Germany’s most important renewable energy source also has ardent opponents – numerous citizen initiatives are concerned about the turbines’ effects on people, wildlife and natural scenery.

*Like Clean Energy Wire, Agora Energiewende is a project funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.