Understanding the effects of spatial planning on the deployment of on-shore wind power: Insights from Italy and the UK

Cowell, Richard; De Laurentis, Carla

Abstract

Despite sustained interest in spatial planning approaches for steering renewable energy development, the effect of these practices remains poorly understood. This paper addresses this knowledge deficit through comparative analysis of the effects of spatial planning approaches on wind energy deployment in Italy and the UK. Our approach elucidates the different roles that spatial planning approaches can perform using a “modes of governing” framework that, innovatively, recognizes the unavoidable compromises involved in their construction. Several distinctive findings emerge. First, governments deploy spatial planning approaches with different governance purposes, thus explaining why the effects on RE outcomes can be ambiguous. Second, many of the challenges that beset spatial planning approaches arise not from technical-methodological issues but from difficult-to-resolve governance challenges of cross-scalar coordination. Third, we show that the efficacy of spatial planning approaches in shaping RE deployment is contextual in nature, reflecting how far their inherent compromises are accepted by key actors.

Citation

Cowell, R., & De Laurentis, C. (2023). Understanding the effects of spatial planning on the deployment of on-shore wind power: Insights from Italy and the UK. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 66(2), 241-264. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2021.1987866

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 7, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Oct 22, 2021
• Publication Date: 2023-01
• Deposit Date: Jun 13, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 23, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
• Print ISSN: 0964-0568
• Electronic ISSN: 1360-0559
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 66
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 241-264
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2021.1987866
• Keywords: renewable energy; spatial planning; wind energy; governance; devolutionsiting
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9642299
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09640568.2021.1987866
• Related Public URLs: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/144074/