New study on the renewable energy conflicts in Spain
ICTA-UAB researcher, Arnim Scheidel, is one of the 18 grantees of the Social Research Call 2025 by the Social Observatory of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, which received a total of 537 proposals from institutions and universities across Spain and Portugal.
The funded project, titled Environmental JUSTice Dimensions of RENEWable Energies in Spain (JUSTRENEW), aims to shed light on the social justice challenges surrounding the rapid expansion of wind and solar power in Spain.
JUSTRENEW will explore nearly 30 years of conflict history related to renewable energy projects, seeking to understand the opposition motives and territorial injustices that underlie local resistance. It recognizes conflicts and social mobilizations not as obstacles but as meaningful political reactions to socio-environmental challenges—reactions that can provide valuable insights for more equitable and democratically legitimate renewable energy policies.
At the heart of the project is the creation of the first countrywide database of wind and solar conflicts in Spain, built through large-scale newspaper data analysis. This analysis will be innovatively supported by Large Language Models (LLMs) to help identify and narrate conflict dynamics from the perspective of affected communities. The project will also assess the territorial and socio-political contexts in which these conflicts emerge.
JUSTRENEW takes a co-production of knowledge approach, working alongside civil society organizations and social actors to ensure that its findings are socially robust and action-oriented. It will generate a range of outputs aimed at different stakeholders, including:
- A comprehensive conflict database accessible to policymakers, researchers, developers, and civil society groups.
- Reports and scientific articles on justice concerns and citizen demands related to renewable energy expansion.
- Conflict sensitivity maps to inform regional planning and public policy.
- Guidelines for project developers seeking to improve social acceptance and procedural fairness.
- Participatory maps co-developed with civil society to support advocacy and public engagement.
As Spain pushes forward to meet ambitious renewable energy targets, the project highlights a growing yet under-addressed challenge: social conflict and resistance. JUSTRENEW aims to inform and inspire a more socially just and territorially sensitive energy transition by producing rigorous, quantitative, and actionable research outputs.
The project will receive up to €115,000 in funding and will run for a period of 24 months.