In October 2024, the WIMBY team gathered for its second meeting with the Advisory Board (AB). Taking place more than halfway through WIMBY’s timeline, this meeting provided an excellent opportunity to reconnect with the AB members after a year of intense work and advancements.
The session was designed to provide meaningful updates, delve deeper into specific aspects of the research, and gather essential feedback from the AB members to refine the project’s trajectory. Here’s an overview of the key moments and insights from this engaging meeting:
Key project advancements
The meeting kicked off with a brief “Tour de Table,” where all participants reintroduced themselves and their roles. This set the tone for the collaborative spirit of the session, laying the groundwork for the discussions that followed.
After that, Luis Ramirez Camargo from Utrecht University, the Scientific Coordinator of WIMBY, provided an overview of the project’s progress. Some of the highlights included:
- Development of assessment tools and models: over the past year, the team made significant strides in building the first versions of WIMBY’s assessment tools and models. The next goal is to integrate these into updated iterations of the online interactive map, with the first major update planned for the first part of 2025, followed by additional releases mid-year and at the end of 2025.
- Workshops in pilot regions: exciting updates were shared about the workshops in Styria, Austria, and plans for upcoming sessions in Portugal, and Rogaland, Norway. These events are integral to gathering local insights and fostering community engagement.
- Continental wind power integration: a major focus has been on refining high-resolution models, like the HighRES platform, to identify the most socially acceptable and ecologically sustainable wind power deployment strategies across Europe. This approach leverages a chain of spatially explicit models at various levels (NUTS-2 and municipal levels) to ensure compatibility and feasibility.
Live demo of the WIMBY platform and forum
The team showcased a live demonstration of the WIMBY platform and forum, led by Luis Ramirez Camargo and Rebecca Hueting from Deep Blue. This session highlighted the platform’s functionality, including its ability to visualise data layers, engage stakeholders, and support participatory decision-making.
Feedback from the Advisory Board members was invaluable in refining the platform’s features and ensuring it remains user-friendly and impactful.
3D environment: insights from the Pantelleria workshops
Thomas Schauppenlehner from the University of BOKU presented findings from the Pantelleria workshops, which explored local perceptions and challenges around wind energy projects. Using 3D modeling, the workshops facilitated a dynamic dialogue with residents, revealing crucial insights into their concerns and priorities.
This session sparked an engaging Q&A, during which Advisory Board members offered recommendations on incorporating these findings into future project phases.
Parallel sessions: diving deeper into the research
The meeting concluded with two parallel sessions, each tailored to different aspects of the project:
- Session A: Social acceptance, mental mapping, and the importance of citizen involvement
Led by Leanda Vedder (Utrecht University), this session explored the psychological and social dimensions of wind power planning, emphasising the value of active citizen participation. - Session B: The data behind the map: building layers for comparative analysis
Facilitated by Andrea Hahmann (Denmark Technical University), this session provided a behind-the-scenes look at the data infrastructure that powers the interactive map, explaining how layers were constructed for cross-regional analysis.
Looking ahead: what’s next for WIMBY
As the project enters its final phase, the focus is now on:
- Completing the next iterations of the interactive map and forum.
- Conducting the workshops in the remaining pilot sites.
- Continuing to refine models for socially and ecologically responsible wind energy development.
The Advisory Board’s expertise and feedback were invaluable, providing fresh perspectives and guidance to ensure that WIMBY’s outcomes align with both scientific goals and community needs.
Stay tuned for more updates as we enter an exciting final year of the WIMBY project!
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