WinWind

WinWind will work to enhance the socially inclusive and environmentally sound market uptake of wind energy by increasing its social acceptance in wind energy scarce regions.

The overall objective of WinWind is to enhance the socially inclusive and environmentally sound market uptake of wind energy by increasing its social acceptance in 'wind energy scarce regions' (WESR) . The specific objectives are: screening, analysing, discussing, replicating, testing & disseminating feasible solutions for increasing social acceptance and thereby the uptake of wind energy.

The project considers from a multidisciplinary perspective cases of WESR in Germany, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Norway and Poland. These selected countries represent a variety of realities ranging from large (but with WESR) to very scarce wind energy penetration. WinWind analyses regional and local communities´ specificities, socioeconomic, spatial & environmental characteristics and the reasons for slow market deployment in the selected target regions. The operational tasks of the projects are taken up by national/regional desks consisting of the project partners, market actors and stakeholders in each participating country.

Best practices to overcome the identified obstacles are assessed and – where feasible – transferred. The project has a special focus on novel informal/voluntary procedural participation measures , direct and indirect financial participation measures & benefit sharing. Finally, policy lessons with validity across Europe are drawn and recommendations proposed.

Impact: WinWind will contribute indirectly to increase the market share of wind energy in the future energy mix of WESR represented in the project and beyond, or at least to facilitate potential growth by enhancing social acceptance and support for wind energy.

Project consortium

The consortium comprises 12 partner organizations from its six participating countries. The partner organizations include knowledgeable research organizations and university institutes, public authorities and other public organizations including energy agencies and an environmental investment fund, one renewable energy association, SMEs including engineering and planning consultancies as well as the leading global network of municipalities and regions committed to building a sustainable future.

Wind energy scarce target regions

Project partners have selected for each participating country wind energy scarce target regions as the focus of their project activities as well as model regions (mostly with a high market share of wind energy) to provide potential best practice references, also with regard to social acceptance.

Below is an overview of WinWind target and model regions:

Germany - Thuringia, Saxony; Schleswig-Holstein (North Frisia), Brandenburg

Italy - Tuscany, Latium, Apulia, Sardinia

Latvia - Almost entire country

Norway - District of Fosen (see image above)

Poland - Warmia-Mazury Region, selected municipalities of Opolskie voivodeship, Kościerski County, Municipality of Kisielice

Spain - Balearic Islands, Canary Islands

WinWind is coordinated by Dr. Maria-Rosaria Di Nucci and Michael Krug at the Environmental Policy Research Centre of the Freie Universität Berlin. Norwegian partners to the project are Center for International Climate and Environmental Research (CICERO) and Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE). WinWind has reveived funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 76717.