Learning from Wind Power

Regional Studies, 2004

S P. A. and L D. (2004) Wind energy policy, planning and management practice in the UK: hot air or a gathering storm?, Reg. Studies 38, 551-571. This paper is set within the context of the growing international wind energy industrial sector. The central focus is concerned with evaluating the UK Government and Scottish Executive's renewable energy strategies, which to date have culminated in a distinct lean towards onshore wind energy expansion. Our interest in this area stems from the international debate on wind power which is now gaining momentum as a result of global and European climate management initiatives, and in particular from the fact that there has been much public opposition to new wind farm developments in the UK. The British experience differs to that in Denmark, and appears more akin to that of the Swedish experience, with the UK presenting an interesting case of the difficulties associated with implementing a 'renewables' strategy based on wind energy. The research focus in this paper is different to that mostly favoured in the international wind energy literature which typical focuses on the science and technology of wind farms or on providing an evaluation of technology-push and demand-pull public policies. Drawing on a thorough review of EU and UK governmental documents, the international wind energy literature, press reports, and recent empirical research undertaken in Scotland, our research considers the social impacts, including the public and perceived environmental impacts, of wind farm developments. Our principal research findings indicate that the UK Government and Scottish Executive are now facing a storm of protest from anti wind farm campaigners, and the extent of this opposition is now damaging the efficacy of the UK's national renewables wind energy strategy. Clearly, this should be of concern to both the UK Government and Scottish Executive and, drawing on international experience from other countries, we conclude with strong policy recommendations towards the enhancement, the exploitation and the acceptance of wind energy in the UK. Areas for future research are also outlined.

Climate Policy

Offshore wind megaprojects in European waters have significant carbon abatement potential and increasing their number is a policy goal for several European maritime nations. But experience has shown that governance of large-scale, commercial offshore wind development is not straightforward. It is found that in five EU member states, policy innovation intended to enable investment in offshore wind projects is leading to a convergence upon a distinctive European model of offshore wind governance. The European Union appears to play numerous roles in this process and further research into how offshore wind policy innovation propagates in the EU is warranted. Policy relevance The governance of offshore wind megaproject development places specific demands on several areas of policy. This article firstly provides an account of recent developments in how offshore wind governance functions in some of the most important offshore wind-using nations. Secondly, the discussion of the EU's role in shaping offshore wind governance will inform future debates about the proper role of the EU in enabling investment in these megaprojects. Thirdly, the fact that policy appears to be converging raises questions about how policy is transmitted between EU member states, the answers to which could be valuable to policy makers looking at other areas of energy governance. Finally, the observed trend of increasing centralization of decisionmaking should be of interest to policy makers mindful of the role of scale and decentralization in debates about energy governance.

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2015

It is widely acknowledged that many renewable energy technologies cannot (yet) compete with incumbent (fossil fuel) options e.g. in terms of price. Transitions literature argues that sustainable innovations can nevertheless break out of their 'niches' if properly shielded, nurtured and empowered. Most studies using this perspective have focused on how innovation champions engage in shielding, nurturing and empowering (SNE) activities: none have so far focused specifically on the role that policy plays in relation to these three processes. This paper therefore aims to analyze the way in which policy constrains and enables the shielding, nurturing and empowering of renewable energy innovations. To do so, it presents a qualitative case study of the development of offshore wind power (OWP) in The Netherlands over the past four decades. Based on interpretation of a wide variety of written sources (academic histories, reports, policy documents, parliamentary debate transcripts, news media) and nine semi-structured interviews, it discerns six periods of relative stability in the history of Dutch offshore wind. It then analyzes the effects of various policies on the shielding, nurturing and empowering of offshore wind in these periods. The paper contributes to transitions literature (1) by providing an analysis of how policies can enable and constrain the shielding, nurturing and empowering of renewable energy innovations, and (2) by bringing together, for the first time, fragmented accounts of the surprisingly long history of Dutch offshore wind development and implementation. Both contributions are timely, given the recent reprioritization of OWP on the Dutch policy agenda.

Planning Practice & Research

This article examines how sub-national policy is applied in consenting decisions for major wind energy infrastructure. The study focuses on the Welsh tier of governance and the perspective of the public, building on existing work on 'territorial politics' and public participation. It looks explicitly at the regulatory stage of decision-making, which is critical to understanding multi-level governance contexts for energy infrastructure. Two cases of 'Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects' (NSIPs) in the UK are assessed and findings show how conflict is fuelled by the ways in which different tiers of policy and regulation interact.

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2010

Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2008

This paper aims to understand different outcomes of implementation of wind power deployment programmes. Geographical variables such as quantity of wind resources are in themselves insufficient to explain patterns of implementation of wind power. To enhance the review of the factors affecting wind power deployment we also made a systematic comparison of six country cases: Denmark, Spain, Germany, Scotland, the Netherlands, and England/Wales. The impact of four key institutional variables is examined and put into a scheme of a set of potential hypothesis about their inter-relationships. These are influenced by different national traditions: planning systems; financial support mechanisms; landscape protection organisations and patterns of ownership of wind power. (1) Planning systems, which favour wind power are essential, and in all cases national planning policies generally intend to support wind power development, but planning institutions show a wide variety with clear differences in implementation results. (2) Systems of financial support are also a sine qua non for development but they also vary in their effectiveness across country and time in the study. Robust and consistent support regimes in Denmark, Germany and Spain have speeded developments. (3) Landscape protection organisations vary in strength in a range between England/Wales (very strong and influential) to Spain (non-existent). Strong and effective opposition to wind developments is always primarily rooted in landscape values. (4) Local ownership patterns coincide with higher rates of wind power deployment than remote, corporate ownership. Local

2006

ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam, op gezag van Rector Magnificus, prof. mr. P.F. van der Heijden ten overstaan van een door het College voor Promoties ingestelde commissie, in het openbaar te verdedigen in de Aula der Universiteit op woensdag 31 januari 2007, te 10.

Planning Theory & Practice, 2013

The Journal of International Legal Communication, 2021

The development of alternative energy sources in general and wind energy (including marine) in particular has become increasingly active in recent years. More and more countries around the world are seeking to incorporate the use of renewable energy into their daily lives to meet their international commitments and tasks. Among such tasks are global world policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonize the economy, production, and industry. The best and easiest way to achieve this goal has been the largescale implementation of legal regulation of non-traditional energy sources at both the international and national levels. Such implementation has greatly facilitated and made it possible to achieve the ambitious climate goals that were named in Paris in 2015 and subsequently reflected in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The article examines the main program of the European Union on the policy of decarbonization of the European Green Deal, its goals, and aspirations. Atte...