CSIRO’s Energy Transformed Flagship has undertaken a preliminary study to consider community acceptance of wind farms from a variety of stakeholder perspectives. The Australian Government’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) requires that 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity be produced from renewable energy sources by 2020. Given this target and interest in wind farm development, CSIRO has explored community acceptance of the technology.

The study produced four high level findings:
There is stronger community support for the development of wind farms than might be otherwise assumed from media coverage.

The actual and perceived local costs and benefits of wind farms are strongly influenced by the design, implementation, and community engagement processes.

Existing regulatory approaches provide an appropriate framework for negotiating wind farm developments, but there is scope for improving outcomes.

The emerging notion of a ‘Social Licence to Operate’ provides a useful framework for wind farm developers to engage local communities in ways that could enhance transparency and local support, and complement formal regulatory processes.

Read the report.

Read the summary.