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In the context of climate change mitigation and increasing decentralized generation of energy from renewable sources, public acceptance of renewable energy (RE) has become an important issue in energy research. Many studies have addressed public acceptance through a case-based empirical lens with rather specific conclusions for individual technolog...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... questionnaire contained several latent constructs which were measured by scales of several items. Table 3 lists all constructs and a short description of their meaning; the respective items are reported in Table 12. All constructs were tested by an item analysis to assess internal consistencies (Table 4) [ Table 3 about here] ...
Citations
... Socio-economic variables, such as age, education, and income, alongside psychological factors like trust in developers and perceived fairness in planning processes, are pivotal in shaping local acceptance [35,36]. The concept of "acceptance" itself is inherently abstract, with various theoretical definitions and frameworks proposed in the literature [20,22,37]. An often-cited concept by Schweizer-Ries [37] defines the term "acceptance" in the context of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) by an attitudinal and an action-level, differentiating between four levels of (non-)acceptance: passive acceptance ("approval"), and active acceptance ("support"), passive non-acceptance ("rejection"), and active non-acceptance ("resistance") [37]. ...
... Conversely, rejection or resistance can delay or cancel energy infrastructure projects [10]. The interplay between socio-political acceptance (general public attitudes toward renewable energy technologies) and community acceptance (attitudes toward specific projects in local neighborhoods) is a critical dimension, often highlighted in the literature [10,22,[40][41][42]. While socio-political acceptance tends to be positive, community acceptance is more variable, influenced by proximity and specific project characteristics. ...
... Previous research related to other energy projects has shown that general acceptance does not necessarily equate to local acceptance of a particular technology [10,22,[40][41][42]44] and its implementation at a specific location, as resistance to the technology can occur despite its general acceptance. Local acceptance is often much more dependent on case-and project-specific variables rather than the overall attitude towards the energy technology [84]. ...
This study examines the socio-technical challenges and public acceptance of hybrid pumped-hydropower storage (HPHS) technology within the broader context of energy transition in two European coal-mining regions: Western Macedonia, Greece, and the Łódzkie Region, Poland. These regions, deeply rooted in lignite mining, face profound socio-economic transformations driven by the EU Green Deal and its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The transition from coal dependency to renewable energy represents not only a critical environmental goal but also a significant socio-economic challenge for local communities, necessitating innovative and inclusive strategies to mitigate impacts and ensure equitable outcomes. The research integrates desk studies with stakeholder surveys (n = 129) to assess public awareness, perceived impacts, and acceptance of HPHS technology as a repurposing solution for decommissioned open-pit lignite mines. Results reveal that while awareness of the energy transition process is high (90% in Western Macedonia and 80% in Łódzkie Region), familiarity with HPHS technology varies significantly (76% and 48%, respectively). Support for implementing HPHS in former mining sites is stronger in Western Macedonia (73%) compared to Łódzkie Region (63%), with knowledge of HPHS correlating positively with acceptance (r = 0.83, p < 0.01). Both regions recognize the environmental benefits of HPHS, including improved air quality and biodiversity; yet, socio-economic challenges such as job losses, reduced income levels, and limited opportunities for reskilling persist, particularly in Łódzkie Region, where 77% of respondents view the energy transition as negatively impacting the labor market. By focusing on regions historically dependent on mining, this study highlights the critical role of addressing the unique needs of communities undergoing systemic transformation. The repurposing of former lignite mines into HPHS facilities offers a promising pathway for balancing environmental objectives with local socio-economic revitalization. However, success requires region-specific strategies, including transparent communication, stakeholder involvement, and targeted investment in workforce adaptation and infrastructure. These findings contribute to the growing discourse on how socially inclusive and technically feasible solutions can drive equitable energy transitions in post-mining regions.
... TECs can enhance citizens' participation [22,29]. Public acceptance and participation in renewable energy projects generally vary across contexts, depending on assessment timing and external-and internal factors [145][146][147]. Capturing the evolving nature of public attitudes towards TECs in each country is complex and warrants separate, in-depth research. ...
Background
While energy communities working on electricity provision have been extensively studied, thermal energy communities (TECs) focusing on bringing district heating (DH) systems to decarbonise heat systems in buildings have been relatively under-researched. This study addresses this gap by presenting the first comprehensive examination of key factors influencing the emergence and development of TEC projects in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. The study uses an established analytical framework from previous research encompassing seven dimensions: market structure, hard- and soft institutions, financing, physical infrastructure, capacity, and interactions with other stakeholders. Data are gathered through a literature review and interviews.
Results
TECs have emerged at different times in each country, shaped by contextual circumstances and diverse forms of institutional support. Elements that have supported the development of TECs are regulatory frameworks promoting DH growth, heat decarbonisation policies, economic incentives to use waste heat in plants, targeted financing mechanisms, and assistance to enhance the capacity of TECs. External factors such as high oil prices, seismic events, and recent rising energy prices have also spurred project initiation. TECs also rely on additional factors for success, including organisational and entrepreneurial abilities to engage with stakeholders, gain social acceptance, and secure commitment from community members. Involvement from local government, intermediary organisations, and private companies is crucial for TEC implementation.
Among the studied countries, Danish TECs stand out as the most developed, benefiting from a stable policy environment, decades of experience with DH and TEC, and positive societal perceptions. Conversely, Dutch and German TECs face challenges because of the early stage of their heat transition, dealing with financial obstacles, underdeveloped policies, unfamiliarity with DH technology and with TECs, as well as the need for expensive infrastructure changes. Shared challenges across regions include capacity limitations in small projects and implementing cost-effective, local, and sustainable heat sources.
Conclusions
In light of the study's findings, policymakers must consider establishing stable, integral and flexible policies supporting heat decarbonisation and TECs, addressing TECs' reliance on limited capacities, involving TECs in local heat municipal plans, and facilitating high DH connection rates where DH is the most cost-effective solution from a socio-economic perspective.
... Research by Sütterlin and Siegrist (2017) highlights that while solar energy enjoys high public support, perceptions shift significantly when potential drawbacks are considered, underlining the importance of addressing public concerns during policy formulation [19]. Similarly, Schumacher et al. (2019) explored public attitudes toward renewable energy technologies in France, Germany, and Switzerland, finding that acceptance levels vary according to community involvement, familiarity with technology, and perceived local benefits [20]. Another study by Roddis et al. (2019) identifies a disconnect between the attitudes of the public and policymakers toward renewable energy technologies, emphasising the need to bridge this gap to ensure smooth transitions [21]. ...
The expansion of renewable energy sources (RES) is essential to achieving regional sustainability in alignment with global climate goals. This study investigates the dynamics and projected growth of RES in West Pomerania, Poland, a region with significant potential due to its geographical characteristics and supportive policy frameworks. Historical data from 2010 to 2023 were used to perform a time series analysis that evaluated the annual growth rate (AGR) of various RES technologies, including wind, solar, biomass, and biogas. The analysis revealed a consistent upward trend in RES capacity, particularly in wind and solar energy, demonstrating effective resource mobilisation in the region. Subsequently, a forecasting model was employed to project the growth of the RES capacity through 2033 based on historical trends and technological advancements. The results indicate significant anticipated increases in RES capacity, highlighting West Pomerania’s potential to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. This growth supports increased energy security and environmental sustainability. This study addresses a notable gap in the literature by linking regional renewable energy development with broader policy frameworks, such as the European Green Deal, and exploring the specific challenges of grid integration and economic disparities in the context of local energy transitions. These findings highlight the importance of sustained investment and policy support to scale renewable infrastructure while aligning regional initiatives with international sustainability goals. By bridging this gap, this study concludes that the West Pomerania strategy can serve as a model for other regions aiming to enhance their renewable energy portfolios and effectively meet the climate goals of the EU.
... Existing evidence indicates that socio-political acceptance tends to be higher than other dimensions of acceptance, as the former primarily involves respondents' general approval without the need for concrete implementation (e.g., [42]) or investment in renewable energy technology (RET). This trend has been substantiated in the context of large-scale PV as well [43][44][45]. ...
Solar photovoltaics (PV) on rooftops and existing infrastructure is a cost-effective and widely accepted technology that plays a crucial role in the energy transition. However, individual installations of PV systems are limited to property owners, excluding most tenants. This study focuses on a more inclusive type of PV, citizen-financed PV (CiFi PV) projects, and experimentally examines their social acceptance, distinguishing between socio-political and market acceptance. We studied design and framing of CiFi PV to make them appealing to tenants, while also considering the moderating role of individual predispositions. Empirically, we therefore relied on data from a survey experiment of 1674 tenants in Switzerland. The results show that projects with material reimbursement, a public or community provider, and proximity to local infrastructure are most likely to be rated positively and chosen in a choice task. Ideological predispositions are strongly correlated with these indicators of socio-political acceptance. Conversely, the analyses also reveal that project design cannot explain concrete investment intentions. However, targeted communication can enhance the willingness to invest in CiFi PV among those with lower propensities to invest. Most importantly, a promising way to promote individual tenants’ investment in renewable energy is to communicate about CiFi PV while emphasizing the collective dimension of the energy transition. This approach has the potential to increase investment intentions among politically right-leaning individuals, while it does not appear to significantly deter left-leaning and centrist individuals.
... Social acceptance is fragile [43], mainly due to concerns about negative sustainability impacts, fear of risking energy autonomy [44], or the financial implications of adopting the technology [45,46]. The lack of social acceptance is manifested by local resistance, which is never against the principles of sustainable energy transition, but rather reflects the mentality and fears of people against change [47]. ...
... Acceptance is dependent on the applied technology [44,48] and the public knowledge about Renewable Energy Technology (RET). Research indicates that knowledge creation is a trigger force for overall perceptions through awareness and public information [19] and that communities with previous experience with renewable energy are less resistant to these technologies [19,48,49]. ...
... In the same context, Bonaiuto [51] highlighted that people's cognitive evaluation of bioenergy production facilities can be influenced by their emotional response to the initiatives involved, whereas technological, contextual, and personal beliefs influence acceptability and acceptance. However, being aware of these specific beliefs, policies can address them purposefully, tackling barriers and capitalizing on the drivers of acceptance [51], also proceeding similarly with the worries related to energy autonomy in order to mobilize the population into an active role in the energy transition [44]. Yet, geographical areas where these technologies are at an incipient stage struggle even with missing legal regulations [52]. ...
This paper aims to examine what can predict the adoption of agro-biomass as an innovative heating solution in rural areas. It explores the social acceptance of agro-biomass such as agriculture byproducts for heating in a rural context. The objectives are threefold: (1) to examine if there is a causal relationship between awareness and knowledge of agro-biomass applications for heating and intention to adopt this solution; (2) to investigate the extent to which perceived local drivers as well as barriers associated with agro-biomass utilization influence the intention to adopt this heating solution; and (3) to determine if knowledge about agro-biomass energy use, as well as political barriers to agro-biomass adoption for heating, play a mediating and/or moderating role in the established causal relationships. This paper uses primary data collected from rural residents located in different geographic areas in Romania. The 673 valid responses were analysed through multiple regression and mediation and moderation tests. The results confirm that awareness, knowledge, and perception of local drivers and of political barriers are positive predictors of intention to adopt agro-biomass as an innovative solution for heating. They also confirm the mediating role of knowledge and the moderating role of political barriers in the established relationships.
... Refs. [75][76][77]), as well as affects and emotions towards the respective technologies (e.g. Refs. ...
... Refs. [76,80]), and the design of the implementation process (e.g. Refs. ...
... Based on this review of the literature, the following recommendations are offered for future research concerned with the acceptance or legitimacy of low-carbon energy technologies, which might also hold true for acceptance and legitimacy research in other fields. First, similar to Schumacher et al. [76], future studies applying these concepts should: ...
The large-scale deployment of low-carbon energy technologies - such as wind power plants, heat pumps, or battery storage - is crucial for reducing CO2 emissions and limiting climate change. The success of this transition depends on how these technologies are perceived by civil society and whether key societal stakeholders support or oppose their roll-out. Two major debates addressing this issue revolve around the concepts of acceptance and legitimacy. Acceptance literature examines the drivers and levels of support of novel technologies. Legitimacy literature captures how these technologies are aligned to their institutional environment. Thus far, there is little cross-fertilisation between the two debates. This contribution conducts a systematic literature review of the two research streams to gain a better understanding of how the social dynamics of low-carbon energy technology deployment are conceptualised. The review involved the analysis of 240 articles from SCOPUS that empirically studied the acceptance or legitimacy of low-carbon energy technologies. The findings suggest that the two literature strands are indeed rather disconnected-few articles use both concepts conjointly. They further illustrate that both have distinct research foci and intellectual roots. Acceptance studies tend to focus on individual perspectives towards specific technologies and relate these to the individuals' backgrounds. In contrast, legitimacy studies tend to focus on the overall alignment of specific technologies or entire innovation systems with the institutional context. Based on its findings, this study proposes a framework to allow for a better understanding of the dynamic interplay between macro-level legitimacy evaluations and micro-level acceptance evaluations.
... In addition to participating in project decision-making, or potentially even as an alternative to decision-making participation, communities can be incorporated into the ownership structure of projects or their benefit flows. Studies have generally found that social acceptance increases in response to a degree of community co-ownership [51,137]. Studies in Norway, Scotland, Belgium, Denmark and Germany have found that where local co-ownership has been implemented, the economic impacts on the local community were considerable, with wealth circulating in the local economy rather than flowing to far removed owners [138][139][140][141]. Use of the deployed RE within the community is another form of local benefit. ...
... In the remaining three subsections this study reviews the more granular aspects of RE deployment projects and their contexts. The first aspect, which has been the subject of widespread study on social acceptance [137], is the type of technology deployed and, to a lesser degree the type of energy source being harvested. ...
... For example, a study in Rogaland Switzerland found that people who frequently encounter wind farms had lower acceptance of additional wind farms development [153]. In contrast, a comparative study in the French, German and Swiss Upper Rhine region, found that respondents with previous experiences with RE infrastructure showed higher acceptance of RE on average [137]. A study of Polish farmers found that those who already have RE infrastructure on their land and had received grants were more likely to express interest in further RE infrastructure installations [154]. ...
Mitigating global warming requires the rapid deployment of renewable energy (RE) systems throughout all parts of the world economy. A crucial step for such deployments is the assessment of their social, economic and environmental impacts. By reviewing three hundred and sixty-nine studies, this work identifies and synthesises a myriad of social, economic and environmental aspects of RE technologies deployment that have been studied over the past decade. The review identifies barriers and drivers that have been found to be common across countries, and those where studies and/or local contexts have found contradictory results.
Amongst social issues, trust and quality of institutional governance were found to be increasingly prominent themes of research and key drivers for RE deployment. The review also reveals a growing interest in attachment to place, but with contradicting findings for its negative or positive impacts.
Amongst economic issues, the review found widespread agreement that, irrespective of the type of economy, countries continue to preferentially pursue economic growth through expanded production and innovation in fossil fuels.
The review of the environmental impacts found that studies of RE deployments tend to focus on negative local impacts, leaving positive global benefits, such as mitigating climate change, as implicit, and that there are only a few studies on the environmental impacts of RE in developing economies.
Two gaps that the review identifies as demanding future work are investigating the benefits of RE co-location in developing economies and redressing the underrepresentation of First Nations perspectives and participation in research and RE deployments.
... The first topic has the highest density, and with the label "renewable-energy-source", focuses on the study of "social-acceptance", mainly through "survey", to quantify the "social-aspects" of the "decision-making" process on the adoption of "alternate-energy", determining the "perception" and The second theme, with the label "economic-development", examines the "human" aspect of the development of different types of "renewable-energy-technology". It examines the "NIMBY" (Not In My Backyard) phenomenon, which, through "community-involvement" determines the "land-use" of "energy-infrastructures", resulting in different kinds of "infrastructural-development" (Agterbosch et al., 2009;Bauwens & Devine-Wright, 2018;Ribeiro et al., 2014;Sauter & Watson, 2007;Schumacher et al., 2019). ...
The social acceptance of renewable energies is crucial for the success of the energy transition process and the fight against climate change. The concept was first mentioned in 1984, but it was not until the beginning of the twenty-first century that scientific interest in the subject became widespread. This interest led to the production of extensive, heterogeneous, and plentiful literature. This paper aims to determine the nature of the literature by mapping all scientific knowledge created in the last forty years and deposited in Scopus. Techniques based on systematised scoping reviews and bibliometric analysis were used to examine the typology, theme, trend, temporal and spatial dimensions, impact, and methodologies of 285 articles. The results indicate that the literature is divided into nine thematic areas, grouped into three clusters that have evolved differently over time. Articles on this matter receive a high level of citations and impact metrics. Furthermore, some countries receive more attention than anticipated, and wind energy is the most prominent source. Researchers often employ quantitative methods, such as logistic regression, using data collected from surveys. Finally, this study identifies possible directions for future research, focusing on aspects that must receive more attention.
... Social behaviour and acceptance considerations have been excluded from this analysis; however, they are critical to enable a smooth roll-out of low-carbon MESs [24,57]. Recent relevant studies have examined such social concerns in and around Crete on the topic of renewable energy integration. ...
Decentralized multi-energy systems (MESs) are a key element of a future low-carbon energy supply. Here, we address the crucial role of grid-connected and off-grid MESs in achieving a low-carbon future, particularly relevant for regions like the Mediterranean with high renewable energy potential and carbon-intensive grid networks, using a mixed integer linear program for optimal economic and environmental MES design considering location-specific regulations. The results reveal that substantial cost (up to 30%, potentially saving €1.6 million) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions can be reached in Mediterranean regions with sufficient solar and wind energy resources currently relying on fossil fuel-based generators. However, our case study shows that the actual cost and emission reductions are most likely limited due to location-specific regulations (limiting cost savings to €0.8 million), especially those that constrain solar photovoltaic and onshore wind. Off-grid energy systems might be suitable decarbonization options in Mediterranean regions, to avoid absorbing current GHG-intensive power from the local power grid, under marginal cost increase (15%) compared to grid-connected cost optimization. However, off-grid MESs require substantial upfront investments and exhibit some environmental trade-offs, especially on material utilization, which could be overcome by balanced autonomy. Overall, truly sustainable and secure decentralized energy systems can only be reached by considering life cycle environmental impacts, social acceptance, and regulations during the design phase.
... Most of the literature on this topic focuses on wind projects, since it tackles the topic of whether wind energy is inherently more contentious than biomass or solar-based energy or only more frequently created at a large corporate scale. For example, in three subregions of the Upper Rhine, Schumacher et al. [188] conducted a poll on public approval of a range of technologies, resulting in a dataset of 495 German, 501 French, and 493 Swiss residents. The authors discovered that the type of technology had a significant impact on popular acceptance (e.g., opposition is greater for biomass and wind than for large solar installations, and resistance was minimal for smaller solar plants). ...
In the context of Europe’s efforts towards decarbonization, this paper introduces a novel framework for
Renewable Energy Communities (RECs), validated with multiple case studies from Italy’s practice. Drawing on
established concepts and an extensive literature review, the framework identifies key pillars supporting its
model. The paper delineates the essential features defining the conceptual model of RECs, offering a process oriented perspective. This model serves as a tool to assess the success of existing RECs comprehensively and
provides a structured pathway for the development of new projects across different countries, fostering replication within communities. An overarching framework is presented as a solution to enhance the effective utilization of renewable energy sources. Buildings, and the communities of people who live in them are considered
primary energy consumers and direct beneficiaries of a REC framework. Consequently, an original pathway for
the mass renovation of buildings located in highly populated areas, from the energy sources perspective, is
provided
