Local governments must engage with local communities early in the development of clean energy projects or run the risk of resistance and delays to implementation, say the not-for-profit World Resources Institute and Danish power company Ørsted.
A working paper, published this week by the organisations, identifies community concerns over renewable energy projects as a key challenge inhibiting the decarbonisation of the power sector.
Planning processes often fail to take account of public and stakeholder worries about potential local impacts, it states. The subsequent opposition can lead to considerable delays in projects being built.
The report recommends that governments adopt standardised renewable energy permitting and planning processes that factor in local socio-economic and environmental impacts, and encourage the participation of residents and other stakeholders.
This article originally appeared on Energy Monitor.
