Author: Martine Farstad

Wendy Project > Articles by: Martine Farstad
Articles Project news

Map What Matters: Help Preserve Your Local Nature and Resources

February 10, 2025

Wind energy plays an important role in Europe’s transition to renewable energy, but its success depends on the support and acceptance of local communities. The WENDY project works to facilitate wind farm planning to ensure the consideration of landscapes and their values for local communities. Your local knowledge can make a difference!

If you are familiar with, at least parts of, the landscapes within one of the WENDY use cases, Zaragoza (Spain), Calabria (Italy, or Crete (Greece), you can support the development of wind energy planning tools by mapping areas of high importance for you and the local community. Your participation will help ensure that wind farm planning takes into account the local landscapes and resources that are vital to the community, benefiting everyone in the long term. In an online tool, on interactive maps, you can map explicit areas important for e.g. recreational activities, agriculture production, fresh water resources, or areas for exploring the beauty of nature. Your maps will then be included in a holistic planning process, developed and showcased in the WENDY project.

Please note that the online exercise takes only 25 minues and requires proficiency in the local language of the area you wish to contribute mapping (Spanish, Italian, or Greek). To get started, send an email in English to reto.spielhofer@nina.no with the use case area you’d like to map, and you will receive access to the mapping tool.

Uncategorized

Bringing research insights closer to wind energy stakeholders through social acceptance interventions tool

February 4, 2025

The WENDY project has developed a Social Acceptance Interventions (SAI) Tool, which is an interactive and user-friendly tool to increase support towards wind energy.

The tool is web-based and consolidates recommendations, best practices, and interventions implemented to enhance social acceptance or reduce opposition to wind farms across the globe.

The purpose of the tool is to inform citizens, community members, and other interested parties about social acceptance. Additionally, it is a decision-support tool for policy makers and wind energy project owners and developers. The recommendations are not designed to serve as mandatory checklists for wind energy projects, but rather as beneficial measures that can help enhance acceptance. No wind energy project is the same, and no community or area is identical. Therefore, interventions should be tailored to the specific needs of each site or project.

Considering the complexity of the concept Social Acceptance, the recommendations have been categorised into six groups, based on the challenges they address:

  1. Socio-economic: addressing challenges related to local economy, infrastructure, community benefits, and investments.
  2. Landscape related: addressing challenges related to visual, acoustic impact, health concerns.
  3. Environmental: addressing challenges related to local flora and fauna.
  4. Institutional: addressing challenges related to communication, planning, and decision-making processes and the national and local level.
  5. Individual: addressing challenges related to attitude behaviour, psychological traits.
  6. Technical: addressing challenges related to location, characteristics of project developer, and project characteristics, such as ownership, number of turbines, size, offshore/onshore, turbine technology (e.g. vertical vs horizontal turbine, etc).

Visit the SAI tool.

Read the full press release here.

Articles Conferences

The Call for abstracts for CWW2025 is now Open!

January 7, 2025

The main theme around which the CWW2025 program will be structured is: “Coexistence in a Changing World: Sharing Existing Knowledge, Challenges and Emerging Solutions”

CWW2025 will include a range of plenary sessions, panel sessions, individual talks, scientific workshops and posters on the topics outlined below.

We are aiming for a conference with physical attendance and live presentations. However, we also recognize that many potential contributors may not be able to attend in-person and are planning a hybrid in-person/virtual event with virtual oral presentations (to be recorded). All in-person and virtual conference attendees will have access to recorded presentations.

All abstracts submitted will be reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Committee of the conference made up of 18 international experts.

The program for CWW 2025 will be structured around 12 key topics:

  1. Landscape-level approaches to address wind energy/biodiversity challenges, particularly those affecting multiple land users and stakeholders
  2. Regulatory and planning aspects of wind energy projects (including research efforts to inform regulatory or voluntary conservation decisions)
  3. Applying the Mitigation Hierarchy: case studies and good practice examples of avoidance, minimization and mitigation, including off setting and restoration
  4. Wind energy and biodiversity in practice
  5. Species-specific responses of onshore and offshore wind energy projects
  6. Population and cumulative effects, including climate change
  7. Ecosystem and habitat effects of on and offshore wind energy projects
  8. Lessons learned in marine and terrestrial environments for wind energy development
  9. The Mediterranean Basin and wind development : trends, key issues and case studies
  10. Emerging markets and wind development: trends, key issues & case studies
  11. Innovation to advance wind energy and biodiversity science : novel conceptual, methodological, and technological approaches
  12. Future challenges, emerging solutions and technologies

Abstract submission is open until 11:59pm CET on January 31, 2025.

You can find more information here.

Events

Webinar to explore the transformative potential of wind energy and its significant socio-economic impact

December 6, 2024

Join our webinar on the socio-economic impacts of wind energy and its role in shaping sustainable communities.

December 11th, 2024
11:00 CET
Online

Register here

Topics include:

  • Introduction to Wind Energy: Clearing up common misconceptions and providing accurate, up-to-date insights into the wind energy sector.  (Professor Xydis George, University of Patras, Greece)
  • The Role of Energy Communities: Understanding how energy communities foster social acceptance and drive wind energy initiatives. (Mr Chris Vrettos, Electra Energy & Project Manager at Rescoop.eu)
  • Socio-economic Benefits: Examining how wind energy stimulates local economies and supports broader socio-economic development. (Ms Despoina Boulogiorgou, PhD candidate in Energy Policy)
  • Case Studies: Showcasing successful energy community initiatives to highlight practical applications and tangible benefits. (Professor Dimitris Al. Katsaprakakis, Hellenic Mediterranean University & Minoan Energy Community)

Register here
Articles Project news

WENDY Project Celebrates Two Years of Progress

November 26, 2024

The WENDY project, funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe, marks two years of dedicated efforts to support sustainable wind energy development. With just one year remaining, the project is advancing its solutions to integrate social and environmental considerations into wind energy planning and deployment.

Over the past two years, WENDY has achieved several milestones, including:

  • Developing the WENDY ConSite Toolbox, a decision-support tool that integrates social, ecological, and technological factors to optimise wind energy site selection.
  • Creating a social acceptance interventions framework, offering recommendations to improve community engagement in wind energy projects.
  • Launching the WENDY Knowledge Exchange Platform, connecting stakeholders across several countries.
  • Publishing key deliverables on biodiversity impact mapping, behavioural interventions, and strategies for turbines-communities coexistence.

As WENDY enters its final year, the focus will shift towards validating these tools and frameworks, delivering policy recommendations, and ensuring the project’s results contribute to the long-term wind energy development.

Download the press release here.

Events

WEBINAR: Verktøy for sosial aksept for vindkraft

November 14, 2024

The WENDY project is hosting a brokerage event on behalf the Norwegian WENDY use case. This webinar will be held in Norwegian.

Dato: 27 November 2024
Tid: 10:00-11:30
Sted: Digitalt webinar

REGISTRER DEG HER

Bli kjent med WENDY-prosjektet og dets bidrag til utviklingen av vindkraft. WENDY adresserer sentrale utfordringer innen vindkraft gjennom verktøy og metoder som støtter bærekraftig utvikling og lokal tilpasning.

Program

TidTittelForedragsholder
10:00Velkommen og introduksjon til WENDY-prosjektetChristopher Harman
Innovation Manager, Norwegian Offshore Wind
10:15WENDY-verktøy: funksjoner og implementering

– WENDY Consite tool  & ES-BIO-LCA modelling
– Multivariable KPI tool for assessing the welfare of a wind farm project		Frank Hanssen
Overingeniør-IT, NINA

Thomas Kvalnes
Forsker, NINA

Sergio Arregui Remón
Data Scientist, CIRCE
11:00Åpen diskusjon
11:15Konklusjon og avslutningChristopher Harman
Innovation Manager, Norwegian Offshore Wind
REGISTRER DEG HER

Articles Meet the partners

Meet the Partners: Q-PLAN INTERNATIONAL

November 5, 2024

Based in Thessaloniki, Greece, Q-PLAN INTERNATIONAL ADVISORS PC is a consultancy company offering quality expert advice to support sustainable business and implement high-end Research and Innovation (R&I) projects as well as policy studies.

Q-PLAN has extensive experience in the design, management and implementation of R&I projects under EU programmes, such as Horizon Europe, as well as studies conducted on behalf of the European Commission Directorates-General and Agencies (>70 projects and studies). Their main areas of expertise include project coordination and management, exploitation of project results, development of business models and plans, as well as communication and dissemination.

Q-PLAN’s Role in the WENDY Project

As the Exploitation Manager for the WENDY project, Q-PLAN is focused on paving the way towards the effective use of WENDY’s results beyond the end of the project, working alongside partners to maximise the project’s benefits. The team has also mapped best practices from wind farms across the EU that have successfully increased social acceptance, and they are actively involved in knowledge transfer and shaping policy recommendations for wind energy.

Supporting Community Engagement and Innovation

Evangelos Genitsaris, a civil engineer, and Prodromos Gkalimanis, an environmental engineer, are spearheading the work of Q-PLAN’s team for the WENDY. Together, they manage the WENDY Knowledge Exchange Platform (KEP), a dynamic hub designed for stakeholders to share insights, access tools, and foster community growth around wind energy practices. They also oversee the WENDY Network of Interest, an initiative inviting wind energy stakeholders to exchange ideas and engage with WENDY’s activities, fostering innovation and best practice in the sector.

“The WENDY KEP provides a collaborative space for mutual learning within the wind energy community, serving as a gateway to innovation,” says Evangelos. Prodromos adds, “Our Network of Interest encourages wind energy enthusiasts to contribute insights and support WENDY’s mission to advance wind energy tools and practices.”

Commitment to Renewable Energy Q-PLAN’s participation in WENDY aligns with our mission to serve as a vigorous cell of society and our interest towards advancing novel renewable energy solutions. With a strong track record in renewable energy projects, including the ongoing MarineWind offshore wind initiative, Q-PLAN views its involvement in WENDY as an opportunity to increase awareness and expertise in wind energy across Greece and beyond. Through their work, they aspire to drive knowledge sharing and collaboration in the sector, leaving a lasting impact on the wind energy sector and contributing to a sustainable future.

Read more about Q-PLAN INTERNATIONAL ADVISORS PC here

Authors: Evangelos Genitsaris, Prodromos Gkalimanis.
ed. M. Farstad

Articles Meet the partners

Meet the Partners – Copenhagen Business School

September 17, 2024

Copenhagen Business School (CBS) is a globally recognised business school with a broad focus and deep roots in the Nordic socio-economic model.

CBS is dedicated to producing high-quality disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and education that address societal challenges, and is actively involved in research and projects related to wind energy through various initiatives.

The WENDY project is placed under the CBS Sustainability Center, Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC). The Center for Sustainability is multi-disciplinary research hub focused on sustainable practices and developments in organisations, markets and society at large. Its research profile includes topics like sustainable business models, responsible management, and the integration of sustainability into corporate strategies.

The CBS project team working on WENDY includes Associate Professor Efthymios Altsitsiadis (PI) and Postdoc Roopali Bhatnagar. This research team brings extensive research expertise in the social science and humanities domain, especially behavioral decision making and social acceptance of renewable energy. Roopali largely manages the project tasks incl., design, implementation of surveys, data analysis, preparation of deliverable reports and academic publications, while Efthymios provides overall direction and guidance. Working at the CBS Sustainability Center, enables the team to benefit from the expertise of other CBS researchers and learn from a multitude of existing sustainability projects.

“We strongly believe that the comprehensive solutions developed under the WENDY project will positively influence attitudes towards wind energy, not just in the use case areas, but globally,” says Roopali Bhatnagar.

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