Achieving the Paris Agreement's net-zero emissions target by 2050 requires a fast energy transition. The most advanced currently available clean technology that can replace fossil fuels involves renewable energy (wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal). Today, renewables account for roughly 17% of total final energy consumption worldwide, while their share in global electricity generation is higher, at around 29% [1]. However, both shares remain far from sufficient. To ensure a secure and clean energy supply, scenarios consistent with the Paris Agreement suggest that around 90% of electricity will need to come from renewables by 2050 [1]. Amidst this need for acceleration of renewable energy (RE)to accelerate its development, theirthe various impacts of using renewable energy (RE) are becoming increasingly evident, leading to public responses which are shaped by a complex interplay of social, political, economic, and environmental factors.
Numerous studies have analyzed the reasons behind the acceptance orof or opposition ofto RE projects. These highlight the importance of trust between communities, developers, and state authorities [2]; the role of procedural justice, including transparency, early engagement, and meaningful participation [3, 4]; and issues of distributional justice, relating to how costs, risks, and benefits are allocated among different groups [5, 6]. Research also documents how RE infrastructures can transform landscapes, livelihoods, ecosystems, and local identities, producing concerns linked to biodiversity loss [7–9], visual intrusion [10], water use [9], and the reconfiguration of rural territories [11]. These environmental changes intersect with social impacts, such as effects on local economies (e.g., tourism, agriculture), community cohesion, and perceptions of autonomy or marginalization [12]. In this sense, social acceptance is better understood as a multidimensional and relational process, deeply entangled with power dynamics and broader visions of development and progress.