The Challenge of Social License in Renewable Energy Projects

Social license is a crucial issue in the renewable energy transition, often influencing the development of projects like wind farms and solar plants. Community engagement practices, while seemingly thorough, sometimes fail to mitigate local resistance, resulting in social conflicts that can disrupt relationships within small populations. For example, in King Island, despite Hydro Tasmania's best efforts at community engagement for a wind farm proposal, the project faced significant opposition, leading to deep rifts among the island's residents. Understanding the unique social context and underlying community dynamics is essential for developers to effectively address and navigate these conflicts.