A landmark new agreement is set to accelerate the rollout of renewable energy across Europe.
The new Fast and Fair Renewables & Grids agreement aims to address the problem of local opposition holding up renewable energy projects.
The agreement brings together developers, local governments, civil society and industry to define a shared framework for building wind, solar and electricity grid projects more quickly and with stronger community backing.
The EU aims to reach 42.5% renewable energy by 2030, requiring massive investment, but permitting delays are widespread.
Onshore wind projects still take over five years for approval, and large solar projects often face delays of four years on average in some countries, according to research.
Local objections to issues such as project location, size, environmental impact, and lack of community benefits have long been a key hurdle, putting national and EU renewable energy targets at risk.
The new non-binding agreement is calling for shared benefits for local communities – such as direct financial contributions, electricity discounts, or co-ownership schemes – as well as a commitment to collaborate with local businesses.
The aim is to bridge long-standing divides between developers and communities.
The four-page document outlines common principles and criteria for stakeholders to consider a “fair” way to develop energy infrastructure, offering a blueprint to resolve disputes that have slowed down or blocked many renewable projects.
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, which facilitated the negotiations on behalf of 2500 local and regional governments, believes it is a “game changer” for the future of Europe’s energy landscape.
ICLEI senior expert for sustainable energy systems Arthur Hinsch, who facilitated the discussions, said: “All sides can finally point to commonly agreed principles around what is a fair way to build, hopefully avoiding the complex disputes that have held back renewables projects for years.
“It wasn’t easy to find consensus and the agreement isn’t binding, but there is so much for all sides to gain that we should soon see a surge in renewables and grid projects.”
WindEurope’s environment and community engagement advisor Guy Willems added: “A majority of Europeans support more wind energy and the EU has ambitious targets for wind energy expansion but we’re currently not building enough to reach them.
“So we need to speed up but we can’t do that without public support. It’s great that industry, civil society and local governments came together in this initiative to reach an agreement that will further support public acceptance for renewables.”
CAN Europe’s renewable energy programme manager Seda Orhan said public support could “make or break” the success of renewable energy projects.
“Transparent and continuous engagement from the start, together with fair sharing of benefits, can win the hearts and minds of local host communities,” Orhan added.
“These new principles are a strong start. If implemented well, they will help to deploy solar, wind, and grids at speed and scale that genuinely benefit host communities, significantly boosting public backing.”