Public participation and social acceptability of energy system change: Findings from a longitudinal and multi-scalar investigation of a regional case study

The transition towards distributed low-carbon energy systems implies a complex re-organization of the territories and a careful consideration of the relationship between energy sources and technologies and the local scale. Indeed, the design and effective implementation of energy policies and projects require engaging multiple actors across scales in identifying measures ideally fitting with the given political, socio-cultural, economic and territorial contexts, reaching the acceptance and support of diverse publics. In this contribution, we present the findings from a longitudinal, multi-scalar investigation of public discourse and stakeholders’ perspectives on energy strategies in the Marche region (Italy). The research adopts Social Representations Theory and a discursive analytical approach to investigate public engagement in and social acceptability of energy system change. The study draws on discursive data collected between 2012-2018: document material (e.g. local media, political and public debates, public consultations and environmental assessments' reports), ten semi-structured and twenty-four episodic interviews with key informants and actors operating at different scales (i.e policy-makers, public officers, planners, experts, environmentalists, citizens, interest groups and representative bodies). We discuss the theoretical and policy implications of the research highlighting the role of distributed actors’ perspectives in shaping policy formulation, technological trajectories and social acceptability of energy system transformations.