Building consent for renewables

The public discourse around sustainability and net zero has become increasingly polarised. Vocal opposition groups have emerged both in response to controversial individual projects, and the renewables movement more generally.

Voices such as these, who don’t represent the full breadth of public opinion, are the ones that dominate.

We’re not content to let a vocal minority represent the opinions of the public, however. At Copper, we are taking every step to ensure that the intelligence clients receive captures the views of the majority.

For our report Building Consent for Renewables, we conducted focus group interviews with a representative sample from across the UK to understand what people really think and feel about renewable energy infrastructure being built in their region.

This was supplemented by a range of anonymised interviews with politicians in England and Wales from across the political spectrum.

We asked both groups what they needed to see from a developer in terms of communications and engagement to get on board with a renewable energy project. Their answers provide a full picture of how to secure stakeholder support for a renewable energy project.

Our research shows that communities put their trust in developers that place commitment, transparency and approachability at the top of their agendas. Displaying credibility in this way is key to winning support and participants called on developers to do this using a range of channels and tactics.

The full findings are contained within the report, which is vital reading for any renewable energy developer.

Crucially, it shows that by gauging community sentiment accurately and engaging with communities in good faith based on accurate information, developers can win advocacy despite negative sentiment towards net-zero infrastructure.