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Noisy monsters or beacons of transition: The framing and social (un)acceptance of Dutch community renewable energy initiatives

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  • Lagendijk, Arnoud
  • Kooij, Henk-Jan
  • Veenman, Sietske
  • Oteman, Marieke

Abstract

Energy Community Initiatives (ECIs) present important beacons in moving to a more sustainable energy provision at household level. The success of ECIs, however, depends on how they are framed as socially acceptable in and around the locations where they are active. Using framing analysis, this paper examines the framing of three urban and seven rural Dutch ECI cases in the period 1989–2017. Key questions are: how have Dutch ECIs been framed in the regional and national press through time, concerning their (positive) contribution to the energy transition and their support, versus (negative) perceptions of ineffectiveness and resistance? Second, to what extent does framing manifest spatial (urban versus rural) and scalar (regional versus national) patterns and divides? The data consists of 527 newspaper expressions focusing on six themes (economic, environmental, social, political, local-development, innovation). Results show that ECIs generally meet a positive framing, emphasizing economic, environmental and community benefits. However, this positivity is primarily related to the instrumental need for ECIs to prove community acceptance rather than exposing ECIs’ strategic roles in promoting the energy transition. Only in urban centres we find relatively more attention for ECIs’ transformational role. We suggest that the energy transition still stands to benefit from a stronger advocacy of ECIs’ contribution notably through a better strategic and spatial framing. This may serve to overcome continuing resistance in more rural locations.

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  • Lagendijk, Arnoud & Kooij, Henk-Jan & Veenman, Sietske & Oteman, Marieke, 2021. "Noisy monsters or beacons of transition: The framing and social (un)acceptance of Dutch community renewable energy initiatives," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:159:y:2021:i:c:s030142152100450x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112580
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    5. Maqbool, Amtul Samie & van der Waal, Esther & van der Windt, Henny, 2023. "‘Luctor et emergo’, how a community energy initiative survived the changing policy and technology landscape of the Dutch energy system?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).

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