Wind and solar parks exacerbate existing rural tensions over land use and political alienation, study finds

The energy transition is inextricably linked to social, economic and political issues, especially in rural areas. Researchers from Würzburg and Denmark are therefore calling for a new, holistic approach.

Transforming our energy system towards renewable sources especially noticeable in countrysidewhere large wind and solar parks are being built that are critical to success energy transition. However, for the people living there, this development is more than just a technical process. He faces existing tensions around land use, social inequalityand political alienation, often acting as a catalyst that exacerbates and changes the shape of these conflicts.

A recent article took a closer look at these processes and linked them to a core demand: rather than viewing the energy transition in isolation, stakeholders should develop a comprehensive overall vision for rural areas. This concept should be focused on the needs of residents and aim not only to ensure a sustainable energy supply, but also to create equitable land use. affordable housinggood social infrastructure and sustainable livelihoods.

The authors of this article are Professor Matthias Naumann, Head of the Department of Human Geography at the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (JMU), and his colleague David Rudolf, Senior Researcher at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Roskilde. In his article published V Professional geographerthey call for a holistic “right to the land.”

Battle for land: who owns the land?

“Increasing the use of renewable energy requires huge areas of land, a scarce commodity in rural areas,” says Naumann. Accordingly, the energy transition leads to increased competition for land. Land for wind turbines and solar panels compete directly with agriculture, the need for affordable housing and the ideas of tourism managers.

This competition for land could lead to new injustices. The article describes the phenomenon in which supra-regional and global investors are acquiring land on a large scale for energy projects.

“Although this is done in the name of climate protection, local communities may fall behind when traditional agricultural uses are displaced or local people are unlikely to benefit from the added value,” the scientists say.

Between energy poverty and new opportunities

However, these conflicts over land are not only material in nature – they have deep social consequences for the population. Accordingly, the energy transition can either mitigate or exacerbate existing social inequalities in rural areas.

“So its success is measured not only in megawatts, but also in social justice,” says Naumann.

In fact, the impact of the energy transition on factors such as poverty and social participation is twofold. On the one hand, there is a positive potential:

• New sources of income for landowners and municipalities.
• Creating local value when concluding contracts with regional companies.
• Citizens' energy cooperatives, which allow local residents to become producers themselves and become less dependent on large energy companies.

On the other hand, there are significant risks:

• Rising electricity costs can overwhelm low-income households.
• Especially in remote areas where people depend on cars, fuel costs worsen poverty.
• Regions that previously relied on fossil fuels face job losses.

Thus, in their paper, the two geographers conclude that without targeted policy measures, structurally weak regions with little fiscal capacity and low social cohesion may be particularly adversely affected, while others will benefit. These social upheavals then create a breeding ground for political exploitation.

Energy transition as a political catalyst

“Major transformation processes often create uncertainty and fear among the population,” explains David Rudolph. This conflict could become fertile ground for political polarization, according to the researchers' analysis.

Right-wing populist movements are consciously addressing the problems of rural populations and using the energy transition to their advantage. Their rhetoric often portrays transformation as a project imposed by “urban elites” that threatens rural ways of life. At the same time, they fuel a nostalgic yearning for the “old” fossil fuel economies.

According to the article, these conflicts are less a reaction to individual wind turbines and more a symptom of a deeper structural crisis: a feeling of being “left behind” in a globalized economy, exacerbated by decaying infrastructure and migration.

Perspectives: from the energy transition to a comprehensive “right to the countryside”

Therefore, researchers advocate a fundamentally new point of view. Rather than viewing the energy transition in isolation, they call for a holistic “right to the countryside”. This approach combines and expands existing demands such as the right to energy, the right to housing and the right to mobility into a comprehensive overall concept for rural areas, putting the needs of residents at the center.

To achieve this, policymakers must look beyond the energy sector and intelligently link the transformation to other areas such as agriculture, transport and housing policy. According to the two scholars, a central question for future research and policy action is how such an inclusive “right to the countryside” can be realized in specific contexts to shape an equitable and sustainable future for rural areas.