STUDY Germany’s policy practices for improving community acceptance of wind farms Pia Kerres, Roman Eric Sieler, Jana Narita, Jakob Eckardt and Lucy Overbeck All rights reserved. The content of the work created by adelphi and the work itself are subject to German copyright law. Third party contributions are marked as such. Duplication, revision, distribution and any kind of use beyond the limits of copyright require the written consent of adelphi. The duplication of parts of the work is only permitted if the source is mentioned. Suggested Citation Pia Kerres, Roman Eric Sieler, Jana Narita, Jakob Eckardt and Lucy Overbeck 2020: Germany’s policy practices for improving community acceptance of wind farms. Berlin: adelphi Imprint Publisher: adelphi consult GmbH Alt-Moabit 91 10559 Berlin +49 (030) 8900068-0 [email protected] www.adelphi.de Authors: Pia Kerres, Roman Eric Sieler, Jana Narita, Jakob Eckardt and Lucy Overbeck Layout: adelphi Photo credits: Cover: Srijaroen - shutterstock.com Status: 08/2020 © 2020 adelphi adelphi adelphi is a leading independent think tank and public policy consultancy on climate, environment and development. Our mission is to improve global governance through research, dialogue and consultation. We offer demand-driven, tailor-made services for sustainable development, helping governments, international organizations, businesses and nonprofits design strategies for addressing global challenges. Our staff of around 250 provides high-quality interdisciplinary research, strategic policy analysis and advice, and corporate consulting. 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Jana Narita Manager [email protected] www.adelphi.de adelphi Germany’s policy practices for local acceptance of wind farms I Abstract Germany’s 20 years of energy transition experience holds valuable lessons learned, recipes for success but also mistakes to avoid for other countries. The objective of this study was to explore the best solutions for improving community acceptance of onshore and offshore wind farms in South Korea by benchmarking Germany’s policy practices and experiences with community acceptance of wind projects. The study is based on desk research, literature review and expert interviews with project developers, municipality representatives and stakeholders from civil society. Community acceptance can be generated through financial participation and public participation in the planning process. The interview questionnaire thus focused on different elements of financial and public participation. In total, nine case studies were developed, each offering specific lessons learned. Based on the best practices and lessons learned, twelve policy recommendations for improving community acceptance of onshore and offshore wind farms in South Korea were developed. Firstly, as part of a comprehensive public participation process, citizens should be involved as early, inclusively and transparently as possible. Secondly, municipalities should actively communicate the benefits of wind energy for their community and local value creation. For increased acceptance, the tax revenue from the wind park should not become part of the general municipal budget, but should be earmarked for investments that are well visible for the citizens. Third, active financial participation by citizens is beneficial for community acceptance. Active financial participation can take many forms; the most prevalent is the energy cooperative already widely used in Germany and Korea. Fourth, wind farms can create winners and losers in a local community. Projects should include elements to create distributional justice, such as a redistribution of lease payments. Fifth, the origin of the project developer can be key. In every examined case, where the project developer was a local actor, the interviewees and the literature research confirmed a positive effect on community acceptance. Sixth, local politicians who are committed to the project and act as advocates can increase community acceptance. Seventh, the political and regulatory framework needs to be attractive for wind energy development and should support participation of citizens in wind projects. Eighth, projects need to be planned thoroughly. Good project and spatial planning will reduce the risk of legal conflicts and increase acceptance. Ninth, project developers should honour citizen’s concerns about environmental impacts and should communicate openly and transparently. Tenth, offshore wind farms should, if possible, be built in a distance to shore, as this reduces acceptance problems. Eleventh, misinformation can pose a significant threat to wind park acceptance. This should be counteracted by information campaigns and a clear commitment. Lastly, the importance of the specific wind energy project for achieving energy transition and climate change mitigation should be emphasized. Communities often have a broader acceptance of the energy transition itself, which might be forgotten in the local project context. adelphi Germany’s policy practices for local acceptance of wind farms II Contents Abstract I List of Figures V List of Tables VI List of Abbreviations VII 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Background and targets 1 1.1.1 Onshore wind energy 2 1.1.2 Offshore wind energy 3 1.2 Regulation and support 4 1.2.1 Onshore wind energy 5 1.2.1.1 Targets 5 1.2.1.2 Support scheme 5 1.2.2 Offshore wind energy 7 1.2.2.1 Targets 7 1.2.2.2 Support schemes 7 1.3 Governance structure 8 1.3.1 Federal level 8 1.3.2 State level 9 1.3.3 Germany in the EU 9 2 Policies for community acceptance 11 2.1 Policy measures on the national level 11 2.2 Financial participation 12 2.2.1 Active financial participation 12 2.2.2 Passive financial participation 13 2.2.3 Legislation on financial participation 13 2.3 Public participation 14 2.3.1 Formal public participation 14 2.3.2 Informal public participation 15 3 Case studies 18 adelphi Germany’s policy practices for local acceptance of wind farms III 3.1 Data collection 18 3.1.1 Desk research 18 3.1.2 Interviews 18 3.2 Description of cases 19 3.2.1 Wind parks in Arzfeld 20 3.2.2 Wind park Druiberg 21 3.2.3 Three-zone leasing model in Ahaus 22 3.2.4 Wind park Büttstedt 23 3.2.5 Energy community Lichtenau 24 3.2.6 Citizen’s wind farm Brebek 25 3.2.7 Construction of a service port for offshore wind in Helgoland 26 3.2.8 Construction of a base port for the offshore industry in Cuxhaven 27 3.2.9 Construction of an offshore wind terminal in Bremerhaven 29 3.2.10 The development of offshore wind parks in Germany 30 3.2.11 Offshore Wind Park Baltic 1 32 3.2.12 Offshore Wind Park Riffgat 33 3.3 Lessons learned from the cases: discussion and best practices 34 3.3.1 Public participation 34 3.3.2 Financial participation 36 3.3.3 Other factors influencing community acceptance 38 3.3.3.1 Political setting 38 3.3.3.2 Nature conservation 39 3.3.3.3 Project developer 40 3.3.3.4 Tourism 40 4 Policy Suggestions for Benchmarking Strategy 42 4.1 Challenges in adopting German experiences for South Korea 42 4.2 Policy suggestions for improving local acceptance of onshore and offshore wind farms in South Korea 44 4.2.1 Recommendation 1: Involve citizens and stakeholders as early, inclusively and transparently as possible 44 4.2.2 Recommendation 2: Communicate the financial benefits for the community and local value creation 45 4.2.3 Recommendation 3: Enable active financial participation 45 4.2.4 Recommendation 4: Respect the need for distributional justice 45 4.2.5 Recommendation 5: Encourage local project developers 45 adelphi Germany’s policy practices for local acceptance of wind farms IV 4.2.6 Recommendation 6: Engage local politicians as advocates 46 4.2.7 Recommendation 7: Make political targets credible and long-term 46 4.2.8 Recommendation 8: Plan thoroughly 46 4.2.9 Recommendation 9: Honour concerns about environmental impacts 47 4.2.10 Recommendation 10: Build offshore wind parks in a distance to the shore 47 4.2.11 Recommendation 11: Fight misinformation through general information campaigns and public discourse 47 4.2.12 Recommendation 12: Emphasize the importance of wind energy for climate protection 48 4.3 Cooperation plan or agenda between Germany and South Korea 48 Publication Bibliography VIII Photo Credits XX Annex XXI Annex 1: List of interviewees XXI Annex 2: Questionnaire XXII adelphi Germany’s policy practices for local acceptance of wind farms V List of Figures Figure 1: Net electricity generation mix in Germany in 2019 1 Figure 2: Annual development of onshore wind energy capacity in Germany 1992 - 2019 2 Figure 3: Global grid-connected offshore wind energy capacity at the end of 2019 4 Figure 4: Ownership structure