The Effect of Decentralization on Wind Energy Authorization Procedures Across Europe

Authorization procedures for renewable energy plants are crucial for tackling climate change across Europe. Wind turbines in particular possess an exceptional growth potential. Yet the role of authorization procedures has so far only been analyzed through case studies, not comparatively. This paper thus alleviates that lack of knowledge by comparing wind energy authorization procedures across all EU-countries. This enables a test of the guiding hypothesis that decentralization matters for explaining wind energy authorizations. Since decentralized countries have more veto-players and tend to include a broader range of political actors, they create higher transaction costs. Data on the design and importance of authorization procedures, along with other factors, are collected through an original survey among national wind energy associations. The analysis relies on qualitative methods including hierarchical clustering. By establishing a comparative baseline, this paper thus takes a first step towards establishing best practices on authorizing procedures for wind turbines, which is of high relevance for stakeholders. It also contributes to a more refined understanding of the importance of institutional factors in tackling European energy transitions.