Re-defining the rules of the game: The strategic role of municipalities in fostering community support for renewable energy projects in Denmark

How can municipalities foster community support for renewable energy? Should Denmark’s official planning model be modified? This paper explores municipal community engagement strategies and proposes a planning model based on pre-project strategic municipal planning and community engagement.Municipalities as key actors in the planning and implementation of renewable energy often face issues with social acceptance. Community engagement is a model for building active acceptance (i. e., community support). The concrete role of municipalities in fostering community support is less well understood. Looking at Denmark, we evaluate the role of public participation and community engagement in the current planning model. We then apply a qualitative research approach to explore how three Danish municipalities have worked with community engagement. The approaches range from a good collaborative practice to a new planning model institutionalizing engagement. Engagement before and during project initialization is emphasized in contrast to the official model that often starts with projects pre-defined by developers. We recommend modifications to the planning model that place the responsibility for strategic planning and project initialization with the municipality and local communities. There is a need to recognize such planning and engagement efforts required before project initialization, followed by eventual integration into the regulatory framework.