On 9 March 2015, the EERA JP Wind Energy – Sub-Programme: "Economic and Social Aspects of Wind Integration" organized a workshop entitled,
Public Engagement Strategies and Wind Energy.
The purpose of the workshop, held in Roskilde, Denmark, was to gather social scientists and wind engineers from Europe, Turkey and the USA to discuss the state of the art and science of public engagement and identify key questions relevant for the wind community in EU and beyond. The invited keynote speaker, Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn from the University of Stuttgart, began the workshop with a presentation on “The Lack of Public Acceptance: A New Experience for Wind Farms.” This kicked off a very rich dialogue among the over 30 participants.
There were also 3 roundtables that addressed specific questions on the topic and a discussion at the end of the day that identified some important research questions for the EERA JP Wind Sub-Programme interested parties. The group addressed some aspects of the grand challenges of climate change urgencies for moving towards a clean electricity transition and the need to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the public(s) about energy choices and needs.
Bonnie Ram, a Guest Scholar at DTU Wind Energy and task leader for the EERA Sub-Programme on Public Engagement, was the organizer and moderator of this workshop.