EUKI Interview: How to Reconcile Wind Energy and Biodiversity Concerns 

Based on your experience with the Wind4Bio project, which approaches have been particularly successful in gaining people’s acceptance of wind energy? 

The Wind4Bio project aimed to address public opposition to wind farms in Greece, Poland and Latvia, primarily due to concerns about biodiversity impacts. Despite general public support for wind energy, local communities and environmental groups often oppose wind farm development, leading to conflicts. To overcome this challenge, Wind4Bio implemented a planning approach that considered the climate, biodiversity and public opinion.  

Over its two-and-a-half-year term, the project developed best practices for biodiversity conservation and public participation. In a series of workshops, we brought together more than 120 representatives from ministries, regional and local authorities, non-governmental organisations, environmental agencies and wind energy businesses, among others. Their discussions focused on using advanced technologies to mitigate biodiversity risks, improving environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and strengthening biodiversity risk management. Our major takeaway was the need for early civil society involvement in planning and permitting processes, along with the provision of transparent information to build public trust and gain citizens’ acceptance of wind energy projects. Several public authorities and non-governmental organisations regarded the online consultation mechanism – developed by Wind4Bio – as an effective tool for gaining insights into public opinion and concerns at every stage of a wind farm’s lifecycle.  

Christos Bouras

Christos J. Bouras is Rector of the University of Patras (Greece) and Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics. He specialises in algorithms and applications in networks, telematics, and emerging services. With over 600 publications, he has contributed extensively to the fields of 5G networks, wireless communications, network protocols, and e-learning. He has participated in numerous national and international R&D projects and served in various academic leadership roles. His work bridges academic research with real-world applications in broadband technologies, virtual environments, and techno-economic models for digital infrastructure.

How do your experiences differ between Greece, Poland and Latvia? 

With their plans to expand their on- and offshore wind capacity, the three countries show their shared commitment to wind energy and recognise it as a key component of their renewable energy strategies. Another common feature is that public opposition stems mainly from concerns about wind turbines’ impact, particularly on biodiversity. The main difference relates to the approach chosen to tackle this opposition and concerns. While all three countries strive to consider biodiversity in wind energy development, their specific experiences differ based on their own unique challenges and contexts. Tailored strategies have been implemented to address local concerns, enhance public engagement and promote the sustainable expansion of wind energy in harmony with environmental preservation.  

Were there any challenges that you over- (or under-) estimated? How did you react? 

During the submission of the project proposal, partners were selected based on their extensive and long-standing track record in successfully carrying out a variety of capacity-building, research and networking activities. This led to the smooth implementation of the project with only minor delays and/or deviations from the originally planned activities. The most challenging issue was encouraging wind energy companies to participate in the national series of workshops, although all partners had strong networking abilities and well-established communication channels with wind energy businesses. To overcome this problem, hybrid approaches in person and online were used to facilitate participation by representatives who could not physically attend the event.  

What surprised you most during the project, both negatively and/or positively? 

Luckily, we experienced no negative surprises. One of the unexpected positive outcomes was the warm acceptance of the online consultation mechanism especially by public authorities and civil society organisations and the agreement for it to be pilot-tested by the Region of Western Greece (Greece) and Zemgale Planning Region (Latvia) in the framework of the Interreg Europe project BIOWIND. Another positive outcome was that during the Climate Congress of Poland, our partner WiseEuropa was honoured with the Energy Transition Leader 2025 Award. It received the award for its efforts to protect biodiversity in wind energy, including the activities within the Wind4Bio project. Since this was the University of Patras‘ first EUKI project, we were also pleasantly surprised by the strong support – in terms of both financial assistance and project-related guidance – provided by the EUKI project team.