Public engagement with information on renewable energy developments: The case of single, semi-urban wind turbines

This paper explores perceptions of public engagement with information on renewable energy developments. It draws on a case study of proposals by a major supermarket chain to construct single wind turbines in two semi-urban locations in the UK, analysing data from interviews with key actors in the pl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public understanding of science (Bristol, England) England), 2013-01, Vol.22 (1), p.49-64
Main Authors: Parks, J. M., Theobald, K. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Focus groups
Location
Perceptions
Public interest
Renewable energy sources
Science policy
Supermarkets
Turbines
United Kingdom
Urban areas
Wind power
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Summary:This paper explores perceptions of public engagement with information on renewable energy developments. It draws on a case study of proposals by a major supermarket chain to construct single wind turbines in two semi-urban locations in the UK, analysing data from interviews with key actors in the planning process and focus groups with local residents. The paper concludes that key actors often had high expectations of how local people should engage with information, and sometimes implied that members of the public who were incapable of filtering or processing information in an organised or targeted fashion had no productive role to play in the planning process. It shows how the specific nature of the proposals (single wind turbines in semi-urban locations proposed by a commercial private sector developer) shaped local residents’ information needs and concerns in a way that challenged key actors’ expectations of how the public should engage with information.
ISSN:0963-6625
1361-6609
DOI:10.1177/0963662511400962