Magnus Skålhegg

PhD project: Wind Power and Placemaking

Much of the conflict in Norwegian wind power can be traced to a development process that is too focused on physical, technical, and legal premises. We need more knowledge about which local factors apply when wind power becomes conceptualized at the local level and how the connections between place and wind power are made. The project uses a theoretical framework that consists of two bodies of theory: geographical theories of place and STS theory of sociotechnical imaginaries.

Fundamental for the project is the recognition that wind power development in a local community involves a de facto reconfiguration of place. This process includes contestation that extends beyond abstract questions about climate change, large-scale economic development, and energy security. Instead, the development of wind power and its following conflicts should be seen as a question of what that place wants to evolve into.      

The project will be a comparative study that compares sociotechnical imaginaries and their corresponding images of place that have arisen in two different municipalities in Norway. The project will use qualitative methods to extract empirical data from the cases. The methods used are interviews, document analysis, field trips, and participation in public meetings. The knowledge that emerges from the dissertation can inform decision-making, strengthen the planning process, and expand the way we think about onshore wind power in Norway.