BigTrans: Needs-based integrated overall solutions for the installation of large-scale renewable energy systems for a socially shaped transformation
Needs- and participation-oriented planning contributes to an energy transition that is sustainably accepted – BigTrans identifies the conditions under which this becomes possible and develops suitable tools to support it.
The challenge is to optimally reconcile global climate protection goals, the German energy transition and local needs. We aim to support local stakeholders in addressing this challenge when planning large-scale renewable energy systems. In the BigTrans project, we are developing our Energy Transition Navigator, which provides all relevant stakeholders in the local energy transition—especially in rural areas—with guidance and tools in the areas of participation, communication and technical scenarios.
BigTrans draws on expertise and methods from engineering, social sciences and economics. Workshops are being held with stakeholders from municipalities in Bavaria, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In addition, as part of BigTrans, surveys, interviews and focus groups will be used to gain insights into attitudes and knowledge, as well as the preferences of citizens in rural municipalities regarding the energy transition. These insights are incorporated into scenarios for local energy production and use.
For example, it has become apparent that existing needs for local independence in energy supply could not always be reconciled with the cost-optimal technical scenario to a significant extent. Highlighting these interrelationships helps local stakeholders to contextualise disputes about the planning of large-scale renewable energy systems. At the same time, the Energy Transition Navigator also shows them—depending on their own needs—what options are available and how they could be used.
The project is being carried out by ForTraNN together with Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, with support from the participation agency Zebralog. It is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The project and the Energy Transition Navigator will be made available on the website of the Agency for Renewable Energy.
