Citizen Participation in the Energy Transition – TNO

In order for the Dutch government to comply with the Climate agreement they need to implement onshore renewable energy projects (wind and/or solar, 35 TWh in 2030). However, citizens are offering significant resistance towards these projects, which hinders their implementation. A possible way to decrease the resistance is by involving citizens in these projects, known as citizen participation. However, which method is most effective in creating citizen’s support/acceptance is still unclear

More about the project

Aim

The aim of this project is to create insight into which and how participation methods influence stakeholders perceptions towards success. As a result, the two main objectives are: (1) providing an elaborate description of three renewable energy projects (cases) by using the theoretical framework of the six dimensions (4 D’s + 2 C’s), and (2) conducting an overall comparison of our three cases, together with five previously-investigated cases.  

Approach

To achieve our aim, we will work in three phases: (1) Orientation, (2) Case study, and (3) Evaluation. In the first phase, we familiarize ourselves with the literature and set our theoretical framework. In the second phase, we analyze our three cases by means of document analyses, interviews with different stakeholders, observant research and citizen questionnaires. In the third phase, we reflect upon our three cases, together with the five previously-investigated cases.  

Goal

Our goal is to deliver an extensive, scientifically substantiated, English-written report at the end of our project. In this report, we will describe our core findings based on the theoretical framework, resulting in an overall evaluation and advice. Furthermore, we will present our findings in an informative presentation.  

Students

Sander Verheul, Eva Beunk, Mika Mautner-Rohde, Eline Teeuwen