Sustainable Grid Development

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As part of the EU Strategic Energy Technology Plan, the European Electricity Grid Initiative (EEGI) was launched in May 2010. The general goals and ambitions of the EEGI are formulated at an all-European level, but actual implementation requires specific contextual initiatives to adapt to varying national, regional and local traditions, modes of social organisation, cultures, etc. (Lafferty and Ruud 2008, Devine-Wright 2011). Currently there is a particular challenge that empirical data regarding impacts and the potential of mediating and measures are lacking (Tangeland & Aas 2010) As recently demonstrated by several cases of national-local conflict in Norway, such processes are not only academic. Numerous stakeholders have been involved, but sorting out the responsibility for grid-lock has proved difficult to achieve. As widely covered by the mass media in Norway, the need for a regime transition in further grid development, to a regime capable of identifying and resolving trade-offs among the economic, social and environmental interests involved, is both obvious and well documented. Thus far, however, the issue has not received systematic research attention. The proposed SusGrid project aims at providing significant relevant knowledge. In order to do s o the project will focuses on the Grid Development Regime and how this is influencing the planning, design, siting, licensing and installation and electricity grids. The specific deliverables will be related to the following issues; Suggestions for improv ed formal planning procedures; Recommendation for better accommodating public concerns; How to improve public engagement; Provide a basis for better informed impact assessments; Guidelines for assessing the potential of mitigating and compensating measure s; Suggest a more integrated and coordinated execution of public regulatory tools.