Field visit and targeted stakeholder interviews

On 15 -16 June 2018, the Italian partners of the WinWind project organised a study visit to Sassari – Alghero - Porto Torres in Sardinia to examine and analyse the state of the construction of wind farms. This examination served in particular to explore the issues related to social acceptability in an Italian region which already has a rather high number of wind power installations.

Interviews were carried out with local authorities, technicians and citizens to investigate why some communities oppose onshore wind projects. In recent years, the level of community acceptance of wind energy has decreased rapidly due to the strong opposition from some environmental associations. They criticise the absence of a public debate when selecting sites for wind farms and have attempted to participate in and influence the Environmental Impact Assessment procedures of planned projects under the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment.

Social acceptability of wind farms in Sardinia is closely related to the landscape and visual impacts, but given that the wind farms are mainly located close to industrial areas, the industrialisation of an areas seems to be considered as the main perceived impact of wind energy. It is therefore important to analyse the location of the wind farms and assess their real impact on the territory. Positive aspects such as clean energy production and the reduction of emissions should be disseminated as evidence in favour of wind farms, through extensive and transparent methods of communication.

The core findings and conclusions were:

• It is crucial that from the very beginning of the planning process to take into consideration any initial positions and objections expressed by the environmental associations, to avoid facing major obstacles and resistance later down the line;
• Information from trusted sources, which is well disseminated, reduces community resistance toward wind energy;
• A serious and appropriate approach towards the social acceptance of wind energy will facilitate more effective local participation. Such participation ensures sufficient attention is given to local requirements and demands when planning wind farms.