Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Acceptance of Bioenergy Use and the Success Factors of Communal Bioenergy Projects

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sustainable Bioenergy Production - An Integrated Approach

Abstract

This chapter analyses the social acceptance for bioenergy resources and bioenergy utilisation based on the following three studies: (1) A quantitative study on 678 rural Germans and Austrians attitudes towards bioenergy, based on a standardised questionnaire; (2) a study in 13 villages, analysing data on 2,200 inhabitants readiness to support a bioenergy project; (3) a qualitative interview study analysing the success factors as well as impediments to establish decentralised, communal bioenergy projects. Interviews were conducted with the initiators or participants in 25 bioenergy villages in Germany. This chapter focuses on changes in the individual and social well-being during the planning of a bioenergy village. Through the three studies, we seek to gain insights into Germany’s very dynamic development of bioenergy production facilities, not all of which meet sustainability criteria: A growing number of people in Germany’s rural areas are directly or indirectly affected by the increasing development of bioenergy utilisation. In many cases, only the economic aspects of bioenergy plants are considered prior to their being built; local population and other stakeholders are not involved. Increasing fears, caused by the local population’s lack of information, often lead to conflicts, resistance and declining acceptance of bioenergy projects. The studies in this chapter seek to open potential avenues in order to have local population’s support for sustainable bioenergy projects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • AEE (German Renewable Energies Agency). (2011). Erneuerbare-Energien-Projekte in Kommunen (5th ed., 47 pp). Retrieved December 14, 2012, from http://www.kommunal-erneuerbar.de/fileadmin/content/PDF/AEE_KommunalErneuerbar_Aufl05_web.pdf

  • Aretz, A., Hauber, J., Kress, M., Ruppert-Winkel, C., Schlager, P., Schmieder, K., Stablo, J., & Trommler, M. (2009). Regionale Selbstversorgung mit erneuerbaren Energien. Ökologisches Wirtschaften, 24(4), 47–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1992). Exercise of personal agency through the self-efficacy mechanism. In R. Schwarzer (Ed.), Self-efficacy: Thought control of action (pp. 3–38). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis Inc.. ISBN 10: 1560322691.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control (604 pp). New York: Worth Publishers, ISBN-10: 0716728508.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dethloff, C. (2004). Akzeptanz und Nicht-Akzeptanz von technischen Produktinnovationen. Dissertation (340 pp). Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dörner, D. (1999). Bauplan für eine Seele (831 pp). Reinbeck: Rowohlt-Verlag, ISBN-10: 3498012886.

    Google Scholar 

  • Egert, M., & Jedicke, E. (2001). Akzeptanz von Windenergieanlagen. Naturschutz und Landschaftsplanung, 33, 373–381.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eigner, S., & Schmuck, P. (2002). Motivating collective action: Converting to sustainable energy sources in a German community. In P. Schmuck & W. Schultz (Eds.), Psychology of sustainable development (pp. 241–257). Boston: Kluwer Academic.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Eigner-Thiel, S. (2005). Kollektives Engagement für die Nutzung erneuerbarer Energieträger – Motive, Mobilisierung und Auswirkungen am Beispiel des Aktionsforschungsprojekts “Das Bioenergiedorf”. Studien zur Umweltpsychologie (310 pp). Hamburg: Verlag Dr. Kovac, ISBN-10: 3830020465.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eigner-Thiel, S., & Schmuck, P. (2010). Gemeinschaftliches Engagement für das Bioenergiedorf Jühnde – Ergebnisse einer Längsschnittstudie zu psychologischen Auswirkungen auf die Dorfbevölkerung. Zeitschrift für Umweltpsychologie, 14(2), 98–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Endruweit, G., & Trommsdorff, G. (2002). Wörterbuch der Soziologie (2nd ed., 754 pp). Stuttgart: UTB, ISBN-10: 3825222322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flick, U. (2004). Qualitative Sozialforschung – Eine Einführung. Reinbek: Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH.

    Google Scholar 

  • FNR (Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe). (2012). Entwicklung Biogasanlagen. Retrieved December 14, 2012, from http://mediathek.fnr.de/grafiken/daten-und-fakten/bioenergie/biogas/entwicklung-biogasanlagen.html

  • Griesen, M. (2010). Akzeptanz von Biogasanlagen. Dissertation, University of Bonn. Bonner Studien zur Wirtschaftssoziologie 34 (252 pp). Aachen: Shaker Verlag, ISBN: 978-3-8322-9616-2.

    Google Scholar 

  • IZNE. (Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainable Development) (2007). Entwicklung weiterer Bioenergiedörfer im Landkreis Göttingen. Unpublished report of Projektgruppe Bioenergiedorf, IZNE, Uni Göttingen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenssen, T. (2010). Einsatz der Bioenergie in Abhängigkeit von der Raum- und Siedlungsstruktur (396 pp). Wiesbaden: Vieweg + Teubner, ISBN-10: 3834808199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Legewie, H. (2005). Qualitative Forschung und Ansatz der Grounded Theory (23 pp). Retrieved December 14, 2012, from http://www.ztg.tu-berlin.de/download/legewie/Dokumente/Vorlesung_11.pdf

  • Mautz, R., Byzio, A., & Rosenbaum, W. (2008). Auf dem Weg zur Energiewende (175 pp). Göttingen: Universitätsverlag Göttingen, ISBN: 978-3-938616-98-7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayring, P. (2002). Einführung in die qualitative Sozialforschung (5th ed., 170 pp). Weinheim, Basel: Beltz Verlag, ISBN-10: 3407252528.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayring, P. (2008). Neuere Entwicklungen in der qualitativen Forschung und der Qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse. In: P. Mayring & M. Gläser-Zikuda (Eds.), Die Praxis der Qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse (2nd ed., pp. 7–20). Weinheim und Basel: Beltz Verlag, UTB, 2. Aufl., ISBN 978-3-407-25502-0.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ott, K. (2009). Leitlinien einer starken Nachhaltigkeit. Ein Vorschlag zur Einbettung eines Drei-Säulen-Modells. Gaia, 18, 25–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roesch, C., & Kaltschmitt, M. (1999). Energy from biomass – do non-technical barriers prevent an increased use? Biomass and Bioenergy, 16(5), 347–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruppert, H., Eigner-Thiel, S., Girschner, W., Karpenstein-Machan, M., Roland, F., Ruwisch, V., Sauer, B., & Schmuck, P. (2008). Wege zum Bioenergiedorf – Leitfaden für eine eigenständige Strom- und Wärmeversorgung auf Basis von Biomasse im ländlichen Raum (120 pp), with DVD, ISBN 978-3-9803927-3-0. Retrieved December 14, 2012, from http://www.fnr-server.de/ftp/pdf/literatur/pdf_318-leitfaden_bioenergiedorf_2010_web_neu.pdf

  • Schwarzer, R., & Schmitz, G. S. (1999). Kollektive Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung von Lehrern: eine Längsschnittstudie in zehn Bundesländern. Zeitschrift für Sozialpsychologie, 30(4), 262–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., & Kaloff, L. (1993). Value orientations, gender and environmental concern. Environment and Behavior, 25(3), 322–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1996). Grounded theory: Grundlagen qualitativer Sozialforschung (240 pp). Weinheim: Beltz, ISBN : 978-3-621-27265-0.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zoellner, J., Schweizer-Ries, P., & Wemheuer, C. (2008). Public acceptance of renewable energies: Results from case studies in Germany. Energy Policy, 36, 4136–4141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraße 1, 37083, Göttingen, Germany

    André Wüste & Peter Schmuck

Authors
  1. André Wüste
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Peter Schmuck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to André Wüste .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Sedimentology and Environm, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 3, Göttingen, 37077, Germany

    Hans Ruppert

  2. Institute of Geography, Department of Cartography, GIS and Remot, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 5, Göttingen, 37077, Germany

    Martin Kappas

  3. , Interdisciplinary Centre for Sustainable, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 1, Göttingen, 37077, Germany

    Jens Ibendorf

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wüste, A., Schmuck, P. (2013). Social Acceptance of Bioenergy Use and the Success Factors of Communal Bioenergy Projects. In: Ruppert, H., Kappas, M., Ibendorf, J. (eds) Sustainable Bioenergy Production - An Integrated Approach. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6642-6_10

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation