Interdisciplinary optimization of potential analyses for renewable energies by integrating socio-psychological parameters

In view of climate change and recent political developments, the energy system transformation in Germany continues to gain in importance. Although the expansion of renewable energies is a national goal, implementation takes place at the local level in close interaction with society. Citizen action groups and court cases against renewable energy plants indicate that what is feasible from a technological and economic perspective might not correspond to what is socially accepted or tolerated. Reliable predictions about the feasible potential of renewable energies can thus only be achieved when political, economic, technological, and social requirements on a local scale are considered in a systematic and holistic way. To address this current research gap and support the stakeholders of the energy transition in their decision-making, this article proposes the idea of an interdisciplinary, cross-technological approach to developing a reliable perspective and an expansion concept for the successful implementation of the energy transition by considering parameters of acceptance already in the forecasting of the feasible potential. This approach aims at expanding existing techno-economical potential estimations for renewable energies by the societal dimension to approximate the realistic potential of specific sites and thus predict the feasibility of renewable energy projects more accurately. We exemplify how engineering, urban planning, and social science expertise can be integrated and combined for the forecasting of the feasible potential of renewable energies. Additionally, we identify the challenges that come with this interdisciplinary approach. The proposed approach serves three aims. First, it serves as an example of how interdisciplinary approaches to transformation processes, such as the energy system transformation, can have added value for forecasting and feasible potential analyses. Second, it exemplifies how an interdisciplinary approach to energy transformation can be achieved methodologically. Third, once executed and applied, it can outline the path toward a sustainable and accepted energy transformation.