WP4 – WIND FORUM: CO-PRODUCTION FOR WIND ENERGY IN PRACTICE

JustWind4All’s Wind Forum brings together diverse stakeholders for knowledge exchange and strategic dialogue in accelerating just wind energy development.

The Wind Forum strategically accelerates just wind energy development by promoting holistic planning, ensuring collaboration among policymakers, communities, and environmental advocates to create socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and community-focused renewable energy solutions. We brought the Wind Forum to the 2024 EUSEW policy conference, focusing on implementation of the Accele-RES initiative, Wind Power Action Plan and REPowerEU.

Beach walk. Morning coronavirus lockdown isolation exercise by wind turbines

WIND LAB 1: Participatory practices in offshore wind developments (incl. floating) in the Severoiztochen region of Bulgaria

This Wind Lab is carried out in the BG region Severoiztochen and addresses the potential resource of Bulgarian offshore wind energy. To accelerate just wind energy governance processes, a network of relevant wind energy governance actors (incl. Sofia Energy Agency SOFENA, Association of Bulgarian Energy Agencies, Bulgarian Wind Energy Association, and national and regional government actors) come together in at least five co-production activities.

WIND LAB 2: Financial participation in repowering existing wind turbines and farms in the North-Centre region of Portugal

We’ve organized 7 participatory workshops on the topic of wind energy justice in Portugal from January 2024 till February 2025. 140 participants discussed and assessed the current state of Portuguese national, regional and municipal policies and practices for different parameters and energy justice indicators, and envisioned future developments for a fairer energy transition. We focused particularly on the indicators concerning procedural and distributive justice. Three key findings:

evident lack of knowledge and awareness across all stakeholders on the distributive justice dimension of the energy transition;
strong need for ambitious public policies that create the right frameworks, instruments and incentives, for better procedural and distributive justice,
overcoming the market oligopoly in wind energy in Portugal through local energy cooperatives, local energy communities and community investment in repowering projects requires a strong alignment and collaboration with Municipalities and regional energy agencies.

WIND LAB 3: Maritime Spatial Planning for offshore wind infrastructure in the North Sea basin

Early involvement of relevant stakeholders, especially the local community is key for a sustainable deployment of renewable energy

Local residents appreciated early information event prior to actual installation of AWE system
Bird experts see possibility to test impacts on AWE systems on birds under controlled setting and strict monitoring
Organisation and timing of local event requires time and effort
In general, representatives from all stakeholder groups appreciated information on AWE and workshops (including online format)

WIND LAB 4: Maritime Spatial Planning for offshore wind infrastructure in the North Sea basin

Co-producing Maritime Sustainable Planning is key to a just energy transition at sea, balancing offshore wind and grid expansion with environmental protection, social inclusion, and multi-sectoral collaboration. Through intense dialogue with diverse stakeholders, such as policymakers, wind and grid developers, environmental NGOs, energy system modellers, we integrate technical, social, and environmental perspectives into Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP). This co-production process promotes holistic and equitable principles, ensuring the development of tools that support a fair and sustainable offshore energy future.

WIND LAB 5: Decision-making compass

We’ve organized 5 in depth dialogue sessions and 3 participatory workshops over 3 different European countries. The goal of these is to co-create a decision-making tool that enables to traverse the dilemmas in just and effective wind energy development. Right now, we are in the middle of organizing more session, but so far, we have gained the following key findings. 1)National and regional context highly influence where the exact dilemma is in wind energy development. 2) (re) setting goals with regards to justice and effectiveness keeps them prioritized. 3) strategies are bountiful, but they need to be with concrete examples.