Site Wind Right? Public Acceptance and the Social Negotiation of Renewable Energy in Spanish Landscapes

Abstract

[Abstract]: Despite widespread public support for renewable energy, wind power projects often encounter significant local resistance. This study explores this paradox through an empirical case in Galicia (Spain), a region experiencing a rapid expansion of onshore wind farms. Based on a mixed-methods approach—including surveys (n=466), semi-structured interviews, and document analysis—our study finds that environmental concerns, landscape transformation, and perceived unfair distribution of economic benefits are key drivers of opposition. It also suggests that perceptions of procedural injustice and lack of cultural recognition are key to the growing discontent. An analysis of this data shows four attitudinal groups with variegated views on wind energy. By examining these from an energy justice lens, we argue that local opposition is not an inconsistency or mere obstruction, but a coherent, yet variegated political response to interrelated socio-territorial injustices. This typology advances the social acceptance literature by shifting the focus from merely documenting opposition to explaining its structure through the prism of justice. As a conclusion, we discuss the need to construct legitimacy through wind energy governance models that are themselves perceived as just and equitable.