Impacts of the NWindPVBetG: Investigating regionally differentiated acceptance developments of renewable energy projects across municipalities in Lower Saxony

Social Acceptance and Financial Participation in renewable energy projects in Lower Saxony

Project Description

To combat climate change, Germany has set the goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and achieving climate neutrality by 2045. Lower Saxony has set an even more ambitious target, aiming to become climate-neutral by 2040. Expanding renewable energy (RE) is central to achieving these goals, as it enables the decarbonization of the electricity supply as well as the transport, industrial, and building sectors.

Lower Saxony plays a special role in this transition: no other German federal state generates more electricity from wind energy, photovoltaics, and biogas. At the same time, the expansion targets are highly ambitious. Installed wind power capacity is to increase from currently around 13 GW to 30 GW, and photovoltaic capacity from 7 GW to 65 GW. In addition, the Lower Saxony Wind Energy Act stipulates a significant expansion of land designated for wind energy development.

Since renewable energy expansion primarily takes place in rural areas, its success depends not only on technical and economic feasibility but particularly on community acceptance. Numerous studies and practical examples show that projects can be significantly delayed or even prevented due to a lack of local acceptance, thereby jeopardizing climate targets.

Against this backdrop, the Lower Saxony Act on the Participation of Municipalities and Citizens in the Economic Surplus of Wind and Photovoltaic Installations (NWindPVBetG) came into force in spring 2024. The Act introduces a mandatory financial contribution of 0.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated to the affected municipalities. These revenues are earmarked for measures that promote and secure local acceptance, such as new cycling paths, the renovation of public swimming pools, or the redesign of community spaces.

The financial participation mechanism is intended both to strengthen local acceptance of renewable energy projects and to accelerate approval procedures, thereby advancing renewable energy expansion in Lower Saxony.

Existing studies already indicate a positive relationship between financial participation and acceptance. However, it remains unclear how persistent this effect is, how acceptance and long-term support develop over time, what role perceptions of justice play, and how regional differences shape these dynamics. These questions are crucial for assessing the effectiveness of financial participation mechanisms in general and of the NWindPVBetG in particular.

Research Objectives

This research project pursues the following objectives:

• Evaluation of the (long-term) effects of the NWindPVBetG
• Analysis of regional differences in the impact of the acceptance levy on acceptance and long-term support
• Examination of justice and energy democracy aspects in the implementation process
• Analysis of competing future visions and narratives concerning the local and regional energy transition 

Methodology

The project establishes a social sciences and regional economic analytical framework and applies qualitative research methods. In four case study regions, focus groups with residents and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from politics, public administration, the renewable energy industry, and civil society organizations will be conducted.

The aim is to gain an in-depth understanding of how this form of financial participation influences short-term acceptance, perceptions of justice, and long-term support for infrastructural change among the local population. The findings will contribute to the scientific evaluation of the NWindPVBetG commissioned by the Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment.