| ID | 099270 |
| Title Proper | Blowing against the wind |
| Other Title Information | an exploratory application of actor network theory to the analysis of local controversies and participation processes in wind energy |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Jolivet, Eric ; Heiskanen, Eva |
| Publication | 2010. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This paper analyses the deployment of wind power and the related local controversies using actor-network theory (ANT). ANT provides conceptual instruments for a fine-tuned analysis of the contingencies that condition a project's success or failure by focusing on the micro-decisions that intertwine the material aspects of the technology, the site where it is implemented, the participation process, and the social relations in which they are embedded. By considering controversies as alternative efforts of competing networks of actors to 'frame' the reality and enroll others, ANT sheds light on the complex and political nature of planning a wind farm project, insofar as it consist in aligning material and human behaviours into a predictable scenario. 'Overflows' occur when actors do not conform to expectations, adopt conflicting positions and develop their own interpretations of the project, thus obliging designers to adapt their frames and change their plans. To demonstrate this framework, we apply it to the case of a wind farm project in the South of France, near Albi. Our analysis suggests a new approach to examining wind power projects in terms of the interaction between globally circulating technologies, unique characteristics of the site, the participation process and the social dynamics that emerge when these are combined. |
| `In' analytical Note | Energy Policy Vol. 38, No. 11; Nov 2010: p. 6746-6754 |
| Journal Source | Energy Policy Vol. 38, No. 11; Nov 2010: p. 6746-6754 |
| Key Words | Wind Power ; Controversy ; Actor - Network Theory |