Analysing citizens’ perceptions of renewable energies in rural areas: A case study on wind farms in Spain

Duarte, Rosa (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; García-Riazuelo, Álvaro (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Sáez, Luis Antonio (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Sarasa, Cristina (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: The promotion of rural development can benefit from the advancement of renewable energies as potential sources of growth and income in an integrated economy. Rural areas have attracted a significant proportion of renewable energy installations, mainly wind energy. Moreover, the development of renewables has been explicitly claimed as a key instrument to support rural economies through job creation, new sources of income for landowners and local authorities, and more sustainable industries with the revitalization of their productive systems. However, the installation of renewable energies can have, in the short and long term, different impacts on the territory. This study explores Campo de Belchite citizens’ perception of the effects wind energy installations has on the economy, demography, and employment opportunities. The Campo de Belchite county (Aragon) was used as a case study due to its wind-farm development. Citizens perceptions on the socio-economic effects and expectations of renewable energies have been explored on the basis of their responses to an online survey. Findings show a great heterogeneity between agents and territories, both in the evaluation of impacts and in their hopes. The management model plays a critical role for achieving its social acceptance. This work contributes with industrial and energy policy insights that call for a more decentralized, participatory and transparent management models.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.egyr.2022.09.173

Año: 2022

Publicado en: Energy Reports 8 (2022), 12822-12831
ISSN: 2352-4847

Factor impacto JCR: 5.2 (2022)

Categ. JCR: ENERGY & FUELS rank: 55 / 119 = 0.462 (2022) - Q2 - T2

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 5.6 - Energy (Q2)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 0.973 - Energy (miscellaneous) (Q2)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/S40-20R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MCINN/PID2019-106822RB-I00

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Economía Aplicada (Dpto. Economía Aplicada)
Área (Departamento): Área Fund. Análisis Económico (Dpto. Análisis Económico)