Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Thinking through participation in renewable energy decisions

Nature Energy volume 1, Article number: 16051 (2016) Cite this article

Subjects

Scholars and practitioners have advocated for greater public participation in decisions about renewable energy technologies. Nonetheless, many questions remain regarding the role of the public and the scope, purpose and openness of these decision processes.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. REN21 Renewables 2015 Global Status Report (REN21 Secretariat, 2015).

  2. Laird, F. N. Sci. Cult. 22, 149–156 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Demski, C., Butler, C., Parkhill, K. A., Spence, A. & Pidgeon, N. F. Glob. Environ. Change 34, 59–69 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Wüstenhagen, R., Wolsink, M. & Bürer, M. J. Energy Policy 35, 2683–2691 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Batel, S., Devine-Wright, P. & Tangeland, T. Energy Policy 58, 1–5 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Burningham, K. Local Environ. 5, 55–67 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Devine-Wright, P. J. Community Appl. Soc. Psychol. 19, 426–441 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Wolsink, M. Renew. Energy 21, 49–64 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Cass, N. & Walker, G. Emot. Space Soc. 2, 62–69 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Owens, S. & Driffill, L. Energy Policy 36, 4412–4418 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Kasperson, R. E. & Ram, B. J. Daedalus 142, 90–96 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Walker, G. Land Use Policy 12, 49–59 (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Devine- Wright, P. Wiley Interdiscip. Rev. Clim. Change 2, 19–26 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Bell, D., Gray, T., Haggett, C. & Swaffield, J. Environ. Polit. 22, 115–135 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Ellis, G., Barry, J. & Robinson, C. J. Environ. Plan. Managem. 50, 517–551 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Schweizer, P.-J. et al. Util. Policyhttp://doi.org/bfnz (in the press).

  17. Devine-Wright, P. Renewable Energy and the Public: From NIMBY to Participation (Earthscan, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Stirling, A. Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 1, 83–95 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Meadowcroft, J. Policy Sci. 42, 323–340 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Dietz, T. & Stern, P. C. Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making (National Academies Press, 2008).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Pidgeon, N., Demski, C., Butler, C., Parkhill, K. & Spence, A. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 111, 13606–13613 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Bulkeley, H. Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. 35, 229–253 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Bridge, G., Bouzarovski, S., Bradshaw, M. & Eyre, N. Energy Policy 53, 331–340 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Renn, O. Risk Governance: Coping with Uncertainty in a Complex World (Earthscan, 2008).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  25. Webler, T. & Tuler, S. Policy Stud. J. 34, 699–722 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Beierle, T. C. & Konisky, D. M. J. Policy Anal. Managem. 19, 587–602 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Haggett, C. in Renewable Energy and the Public (ed. Devine-Wright, P. ) 15–27 (Earthscan, 2011).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Fiorino, D. J. Sci. Technol. Hum. Values 15, 226–243 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Stirling, A. Sci. Technol. Hum. Values 33, 262–294 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Renn, O., Webler, T., Rakel, H., Dienel, P. & Johnson, B. Policy Sci. 26, 189–214 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Innes, J. E. & Booher, D. E. Plan. Theory Pract. 5, 419–436 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Few, R., Brown, K. & Tompkins, E. L. Clim. Policy 7, 46–59 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Rydin, Y. & Pennington, M. Local Environ. 5, 153–169 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Arnstein, S. R. J. Am. Inst. Plan. 35, 216–224 (1969).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Walker, G. & Devine-Wright, P. Energy Policy 36, 497–500 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Abelson, J. et al. Soc. Sci. Med. 57, 239–251 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. David Bidwell is at the Department of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island, 1 Greenhouse Road, Suite 209, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, USA.,

    David Bidwell

Authors
  1. David Bidwell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Bidwell.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bidwell, D. Thinking through participation in renewable energy decisions. Nat Energy 1, 16051 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.51

Download citation

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.51

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing