How we Talk about Renewable Energy Matters. Different Discourses Contributing to the Social-Acceptance of Wind Energy in Austria

To better understand the governance of the energy transition it is necessary to investigate different discourses about social acceptance. The acceptance or non-acceptance of a particular renewable energy technology is depended on complex set of social norms, individual values and preferences. The paper highlights that these deeply rooted belief systems correspond with certain discourses about renewable energy and the environment in general. In an Austrian case study focusing on the deployment of wind energy we conducted 36 semi-structured expert interviews, eight focus groups and one WorldCafé in order to observe what people think about renewable energy, what they regard as important for supporting or opposing wind energy and what is their notion of social acceptance. We clustered the statements of selected respondents into a group of i) nature conservationists / ecologists; ii) operators / wind lobbying groups; iii) local decision-makers; and iv) citizens. Through qualitative content analyses, we were able to identify various crucial patterns of social acceptance and a very coherent picture of interests. For operators, most of the patterns of social acceptance seem to be very important or important, which means that they show an interest in the concerns raised by nature conservationists/ecologists, local decision-makers and citizens at the same time. Nature conservationists and ecologists concentrate on effects on the landscape scenery and aspects of nature and wildlife conservation, where they have the expertise and a stake in the future development of wind energy. On the local level, the perceived importance of most of the critical patterns of social acceptance overlaps. Citizens do only regard energy strategies, the impact on tourism and repowering as less important than their political representatives do. Finally, we were able to match the different arguments to three influential narratives – nature conservation, human wellbeing and ecological modernisation – and show how the different interests, rationales and beliefs are embedded in these discourses.