#WWEAwebinar: Community Engagement tools
Presented with the support of ProfEC Ventus Measurement Institute (MEASNET): https://shop.profec-ventus.com
Hosted in collaboration with the WWEA Legal Working Group, Leuphana University and ECOLOG
Video: https://youtu.be/VpjW5Lxk3h8
The WWEAwebinar is intended to present current legal framework conditions and engagement tools for public participation in wind energy projects in various parts of the world, be it in Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia, North and South America.
It is known that the acceptance of and support for wind energy projects correlates with the involvement of the local community in the planning process, but also during operation. The acceptance of the local community is understandably higher if the local residents benefit directly from the operation of the wind farm. Often local citizens are even active drivers and shareholders of wind farms.
There are different ways for local residents to benefit from a local wind farm. Some wind farm developers and operators offer shares or wind savings bonds, which offer an attractive financial return. It is also conceivable that local residents benefit from a cheaper electricity tariff or that the municipalities receive regular payments or donations from the wind farm company, if permitted by law.
In the past, these were actually always voluntary measures taken by the project developers to increase acceptance. The current trend is that in more and more countries, legislation is making citizen engagement mandatory. In some cases there are very specific requirements, in others only a framework for participation is given, which then has to be negotiated locally into a specific agreement.
For the wind sector it is crucial to understand available tools, new legal requirements and how to implement them in the most effective way.
Speakers include:
- Stefan Gsänger, WWEA: Welcome
- Tobias Natt, WWEA Legal Working Group: Welcome
- Jarra Hicks, Community Power Agency Australia, Community Engagement in Australia
- Lars Holstenkamp, Leuphana University: Legal Provisions for Community Participation in Germany and Europe
- Tobias Klaus/Lars Holstenkamp, ECOLOG Institute for Social-Ecological Research and Education
- Najamul Memon, Leuphana University: Community Engagement in Pakistan
- Gopika Gopan, Windplus India: Community Engagement in India
- Roque Pedace, CAN Latin America/Inforse, Argentina
Video: https://youtu.be/VpjW5Lxk3h8