Wind energy has a key role to play in the transition to a low-emission society. However, its deployment can lead to local tensions and has generated polarised debates across Europe. For a successful energy transition is a crucial prerequisite to increase the social acceptance of renewable energy sources, particularly Wind Energy.

The Environmental Policy Research Centre FFU organises together with the partner ICLEI the final conderence of the project WinWind “Achieving a Win-Win(d) - Socially-Inclusive Wind Energy across Europe” on 27-28 February 2020 in the Hotel Aquino Tagungszentrum (Katholische Akademie), Hannoversche Str. 5b, Berlin, Germany.

The conference will bring together about 70 participants from the research community, policy makers, business and civil society to review what influences social acceptance of wind energy and highlight replicable measures. Taking place in Berlin, the programme will also draw on the experience gained from the German Energiewende, and to explore the possibility to implement criteria for fair wind energy.

Experts and policy-makers from all over Europe such as Jan Steinkohl from the European Commission and Lutz Ribbe from the European Economic and Social Committee will discuss with representatives of the wind energy industry and regional authorities and various stakeholders ways to enhance acceptability for wind energy. A key note will be delivered by Prof Gundula Hübner of Halle University and Medical School Hamburg, one of the leading experts in acceptance research of renewables.

In particular, we invite you to attend the signing of a number of Memoranda of Understanding for the transfer of best practice measures fostering socially-inclusive wind energy between stakeholders of selected European regions.

The conference is organised by the Environmental Policy Research Centre at Freie Universität Berlin and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability as part of the Horizon 2020 WinWind project. The conference will also see the release of the WinWind Handbook, providing guidance on how socially- inclusive wind energy can be achieved.

You will find the full conference programme here

Contact: dinucci@zedat.fu-berlin.de