Elsevier

Energy Policy

Volume 35, Issue 5, May 2007, Pages 2737-2750
Energy Policy

Wind power implementation in changing institutional landscapes: An international comparison

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2006.12.004Get rights and content

Abstract

In order to understand diverging achievements in wind power implementation, the Netherlands, England, and the German state of North Rhine Westphalia are compared in a multiple cases study. The comparison addresses the extent to which wind power, as a new energy technology, has become embedded in existing routines and practices of society. The concept of institutional capacity building is adopted to qualify the trajectories followed, taking into account the interdependent and changing political, economic, environmental and planning conditions. Moreover, attention is focused on the conditions that affect the local planning contexts, because that is the level at which conflicts are eventually played out and where a lack of social acceptance becomes manifest. This comparison partly clarifies diverging achievements in terms of implementation. Local social acceptance is problematic—to various degrees—in all three cases. Policymakers and wind project developers do not sufficiently recognise the nature of tensions at the local level. Facilitating local ownership and institutionalising participation in project planning can help to arrive at a better recognition and involvement of the multiple interests (environmental, economic and landscape) that are relevant at the local level of implementation.

Introduction

Since the early 1970s, several European countries have had policies in place to support the development of renewable energy sources. However, present achievements in these countries reveal remarkable differences. This divergence is analysed by comparing three cases of onshore wind power implementation in the Netherlands, the German state of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) and England (Table 1).

Section snippets

Existing wind power studies

International comparative studies have addressed technological learning and wind turbine development and how policy support systems have enabled investments in wind power development and wind power market developments (Kamp et al., 2004; Dinica, 2003; Lauber, 2004; Mitchell et al., 2006; Toke, 2005b). A growing number of international comparative studies place the advance of wind power (industry, market, technology) in a broader context of national political, economic, technological and

Multiple cases method

Case-study research involves empirical research in which a contemporary phenomenon is studied within its real-life context, whereby the boundaries of the phenomenon and the context are not clear and evident, and where a number of ‘sources of evidence’ are used (Yin, 1994). Our research concerns a multiple embedded cases design consisting of three separate single case studies. We selected cases that differ in terms of wind energy achievements. While wind power implementation has proceeded

General stakeholders’ evaluations

If we compare those respondents that are actually involved in projects of implementation, we can see that different evaluations apply. In the Netherlands, these respondents criticised the government for a lack of commitment to wind power development, for the exclusive style of policy-making, and for the volatility of policies over the decades. Some associated this with a lack of a sense of urgency with regard to both energy and environmental issues in politics and society. In England the

Financial incentives: mobilising capital and support

Policies providing financial incentives have differed with regard to the type of projects and developers they have facilitated. The feed-in system in NRW was very effective for several reasons, but most significantly it became effective in combination with other support programmes that enabled a diversity of actors to become involved in the development of projects. Financial incentives neither discriminate against smaller and independent initiatives, nor against developers without large

Acknowledgements

We thank Susanne Agterbosch and Volkmar Lauber for valuable comments.

This research was funded by NWO, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.

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