Social Innovation and Public Engagement

Work Package 5

Leaded by ICSUL

PARTICIPANTS

FOCUS

The WP aims to reinforce the social dimension in renewable energy development, by promoting knowledge exchanges between business and CSO involved in RE planning and implementation and academic institutions that carry out research on social issues concerning energy. It aims to explore how resources from social research can be used to enhance the involvement of communities, to tap into local knowledge to create innovative solutions, to defuse potential causes for conflict around landscapes and cultural values. It has strong training dimension, providing researchers and technicians from business and civil society organisations with information on cutting edge methodological tools for social research and participatory engagement emanated from academia. Nevertheless, secondments of academic social researchers in business and CSO will also raise their awareness of the needs, interests and specialised knowledge of non-academic partners, extremely fruitful for future collaborations. Finally, this WP also has a strong dissemination component, patent both in scientific outputs (article, report) and actions aimed at communities (exhibition) and the general public, as well as seminar that will include all WP participants.

OBJECTIVES

01. To identify and replicate social innovations in the field of renewable energies in the consortium countries.

02. To appraise innovative practices in public engagement in renewable energies.

03. To strengthen the cultural dimension of renewable energy development processes.

04. To promote training and dissemination of methodologies for public engagement.

TASKS

1.

Case Studies (CS) of social innovation and entrepreneurship in the energy sector. This task consists of the identification of relevant cases of social innovation regarding renewable energy (novel more sustainable solutions to problems such as community opposition, landscape impacts, underdeveloped RE generation potential) through document analysis and interviews with stakeholders. A common template will be designed for data collection in order to derive comparable information and best practices jointly with WP2 to WP4. Scientific paper on case studies of social innovation and entrepreneurship in the energy sector will be published.

2.

Landscape and cultural analysis (LCA). This task consists of developing studies on landscape and cultural factors in potential locations for renewable energy. Researchers will gather information on local cultural valuations of landscape and heritage in order to assess and anticipate potential conflicts and resistance to renewable energy facilities and help devise alternative locations or mitigation measures (through visual tools and other planning devices in cross cooperation with WP4).

3.

Training (T) in social analysis and participatory methods according to WP1 communication and dissemination strategy. This comprises the organisation of a methodological course on social analysis and participatory methods aimed at researchers and technicians from business and civil society organisations. It includes a final integration seminar with all participants in the WP, which will take place at ICSUL.