Lecture Programme Renewable Energy and Landscape Quality

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Wednesday 2016-11-02 - Introduction and Context

Dr. Ellen Fetzer (DE): Landscape eLectures via the LE:NOTRE Institute: Ideas and Mission

The eLecture programme aims to bring a variety of specialist lectures on a range of interdisciplinary landscape topics directly to your desktop or mobile internet device. We will briefly explain the history of this electure series and the framework of wider institute activities in which the series is embedded.

Dr. Ellen Fetzer (DE) initiates and coordinates elearning activities at Nürtingen-Geislingen University in cooperation with international partners. She also works for the International Master Programme in Landscape Architecture (IMLA). Ellen is a board member of the LE:NOTRE Institute and vice-president of the European Council of Landscape Architecture Schools.

Prof. Dr. Michael Roth (DE): Renewable Energy and Landscape Quality

• In this introductory lecture, the aims and scope of the COST Action TU1401 “Renewable Energy and Landscape Quality (RELY)” will be presented. The importance of achieving social acceptance for renewable energy installations in the landscape will be discussed. Case-Studies from Germany are used to illustrate the potential of landscape planning for contributing to the energy turnaround while at the same time safeguarding landscape quality.

Prof. Dr. Michael Roth (DE) is professor for landscape planning, especially landscape informatics at Nürtingen-Geislingen University. He is chair of the COST Action TU1401 “Renewable Energy and Landscape Quality (RELY)”. His research focuses on visual landscape quality assessment, impacts of energy infrastructure on perceived landscape quality and participative landscape planning.

Wednesday 2016-11-09 - The social context of renewable energies

Dr. Ana Delicado (PT): Social acceptability of renewable energies

• This lecture will explore the diverse social factors that play a role in generating acceptance or resistance towards renewable energies, both at the national and local levels. It will discuss variations in acceptance by country, by social group and by type of technology.

Dr. Ana Delicado (PT)is a sociologist. She is currently a Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon. Ana Delicado is specialised in social studies of science and technology and has conducted research on renewable energies in Portugal.

Dr. Bohumil Frantal (CZ): Factors affecting the uneven spatial diffusion of wind energy projects: The case of the Czech Republic

• Regional differences in the realization of wind energy projects are not determined just by physical-geographical and infrastructural conditions of areas but they are also affected by political-institutional and socioeconomic factors.
• This research revealed that the rate of implementation of wind energy is significantly correlated with the level of urbanization, industrialization, environmental degradation, structural economic depression, higher unemployment and lower social capital of population. The results raise questions about the environmental injustice and spatial concentration of energy production.

Dr. Bohumil Frantal (CZ)is researcher at the Czech Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on social-spatial contexts of energy transition and related land use conflicts, environmental risk perceptions, urban renewal and brownfields regeneration, local identity processes, quality of life and spatial models of behaviour. He also works as a lecturer at Masaryk University and Palacký University.

Wednesday 2016-11-16 - Visual impact assessment

Prof. Dr. David Miller (UK): Renewable energy and landscape, stakeholder visioning and visual impact assessment

• The international contexts of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement (2015) and the Aarhus Convention have local significance with respect to the evolution of multi-functional landscapes.
• The presentation will explain the development of visions for future landscapes by local communities, using a live demonstration of the use of the Virtual Landscape Theatre. Preliminary use of the Oculus Rift headset in approaches to engagement will be introduced. Opportunities and limitations of engagement with groups compared to individuals will be discussed.

Prof. Dr. David Miller (UK) is the Knowledge Exchange Coordinator at James Hutton Institute, UK. His research background includes the development and application of approaches to public engagement using visualisation and virtual reality tools, landscape analysis, and spatial modelling.

Prof. Dr. Pat Brereton (IE): The Debate on Renewable Energy and Landscape Quality in Audio-Visual Media: Case study of Ireland

• The audio-visual media has a major role in communicating the necessity of moving to a low carbon energy transition and promoting various forms of alternative energy production. At the same time, audiences need powerful mediated narratives to overcome a range of anxieties and concerns over the demands of such radical change and help to translate often positive attitudes to effective behaviour change.
• New forms of media, alongside the development of greater environmental media literacy and public engagement are all needed to ensure such societal transformation.

Prof. Dr. Pat Brereton (IE)is Head of School of Communications at Dublin City University. Since completing his PhD in 2001 he has remained fascinated with all aspects of Environmental Communications and has published several books and journal articles in this field.

Wednesday 2016-11-23 - Biomass production

Dr. Anja Brüll (BE): Landscape quality objectives and complementary biomass (re)production

• The lecture will question the renewability of biomass and bioenergy, and relate it to a process management oriented concept of landscape quality.
• Using the example of the Three Countries Park at the corner of Belgium,Germany and the Netherlands it will show how complementary biomass production practices could contribute to the fulfilment of landscape quality objectives.

Dr. Anja Brüll (BE)is an independent landscape planner and founder of the Aquatectura-studios for regenerative landscapes. Presently she works as the project leader of the Three Countries Park – a cross-border landscape platform in the Euregion Meuse-Rhine.

Wednesday 2016-11-30 - Wind energy

Prof. Dr. Mojca Golobič (SI): What support do decision makers need (and want)? The case of wind energy planning in Slovenia

After almost 20 years of different initiatives and lengthy processes, Slovenia is still without proper wind power plant. The potential of different planning support tools, such as GIS suitability maps, photo-surveys, environmental impact assessment, will be discussed in the lecture as well as why they fail or succeed in the real-life decision making.

Prof. Dr. Mojca Golobič (SI)is head of the Department for Landscape architecture at the University of Ljubljana, where she has a full time teaching position and leads the research program “landscape as a living environment”. Her teaching and research work focusses on methods in environmental and land-use planning, quality of urban environment,policy evaluation and public participation.

Wednesday 2016-12-07 - Hydropower and Geothermal Power

Prof. Dr. Karl Benediktsson (IS): Hydro- and geothermal power: Abundance, impacts and acceptability

• Hydropower is an old and widespread form of renewable energy, whereas geothermal use is more limited in Europe. In Iceland, both are very important in the energy mix, but difficult social conflicts have arisen in relation to the impact of certain energy projects.
• In the lecture, an overview is given of the Icelandic energy situation and a countrywide planning process that is meant to reduce the risk of conflicts is described.

Prof. Dr. Karl Benediktsson (IS) is a human geographer who has researched landscape issues and politics of conservation in his native Iceland. Among his publications in these fields is the edited volume Conversations with Landscape (Ashgate, 2010) as well as several journal articles and other writings.

Wednesday 2016-12-14 - Energy landscape design

Prof. Dr. Sven Stremke (NL):Energy landscape design: Theories, obstacles and design principles

• During this lecture, we will discuss relevant theoretical frameworks with regard to energy landscape, a number of obstacles to the implementation of renewable energy technologies and, finally, energy-conscious planning design and principles that are critical for landscape architects and other environmental designers working on energy transition.
• Real-world projects and student work will be used to illustrate theories and principles.

Prof. Dr. Sven Stremke (NL)is Assistant Professor for Landscape Architecture at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, Principal Investigator at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS) and founding director of the NRGlab, a research laboratory on energy transition. His research and teaching focuses on the relations between renewable energy technologies and landscapes.