Why community support is vital for wind power’s future

Community engagement can make or break any wind farm project. In this episode of the Windpower Podcast, we discuss the importance of getting this crucial stage of the development process right and making it fair for all concerned with two industry experts. 

Gaining community support is often an essential step for the future viability of new wind farm, with supportive communities providing strong foundations for a successful project, while resistance from local communities can hold up or even end the prospects for a future site. 

General lessons from positive community enagement include an approach that puts listening first and foremost, being attentive to what the nearby community needs, how they might feel about their "new neighbours" and developing a collaborative approach based on transparency and trust. 

These techniques are highlighted by some of the best specific examples of how community engagement done right can help everyone, from the remote town in Germany that turned its fortunes around with a suspension bridge built with wind industry support, to grassroots activism in Bristol in the UK channeling the funds of a successful wind farm into much needed community projects. 

Meanwhile, a rise in disinformation about wind power is increasing distrust of the technology and dismissing the benefits it can bring to local areas. While this is an issue that goes beyond the wind industry, sometimes it can best be addressed by highlighting the living proof of the benefits brought to communities already hosting successful wind farms.  

This episode was produced by Inga Marsden and Jude Owen.

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