Will infrastructure be abandoned? International challenges in planning for the future of onshore wind and solar.

在全球能源系统向脱碳转型的背景下，扩大可再生能源的能源产出变得越来越重要。然而，可再生能源基础设施的空间有限，现有设施的使用寿命也越来越短。考虑到日益严格的规划和土地限制，保持批准的基础设施到位可能是确保实现能源目标的关键部分。该领域的大多数现有研究都集中在可再生基础设施的初始选址决策上，缺乏对长期未来可能发生的情况的考虑。为了解决这个问题，我的博士第一次系统地评估了生命终结的决定是如何做出的，探索了不同的参与者如何考虑地点的持续时间，他们的看法如何随着时间的推移而变化，以及这如何反映在决策中。这篇论文提供了大量的数据，包括对所有相关的英国规划和能源政策的分析，所有英国风力发电场的年龄和状态数据，包括重新供电和延长寿命的细节，对四个风力发电场和一个太阳能发电场的案例研究，包括对所有相关参与者的深度访谈，以及对居住在两个风力发电场附近的居民的调查。调查结果揭示了一系列潜在的挑战，最重要的是开发商在制定决策时的经济计算占主导地位，公众和景观问题的边缘化，但也有明显的基础设施被遗弃的可能性，即在其使用寿命结束时未被拆除。它还就如何减轻这些挑战提出了建议。从理论上讲，本文提供了关于规划系统如何考虑和调节时间的影响的创新见解，并揭示了应用德勒兹方法探索规划监管的好处。通过这样做，它提供了一个机会来重塑我们对能源转换等关键时间过程的思考方式。在论文研究结果的基础上，该奖学金将用于推动以下工作：-沟通陆上风能和太阳能项目在达到寿命终止阶段时面临的机遇和挑战，并提供有关寿命终止规划政策和规划许可期限的建议。-强调在获得规划许可的初始决策过程中被遗漏的因素所带来的风险和错失的机会。这些因素，如退役要求不足，可能会在基础设施接近使用寿命时再次带来挑战。-传播有关社区观念如何随着基础设施的使用寿命而变化的调查结果，以及它们如何经常没有反映在使用寿命结束的决策中，以及关于如何更好地纳入它们的建议。-通过认识到基础设施系统总是处于不断变化的状态，重新思考在规划和向低碳能源系统过渡时如何考虑时间问题。奖学金的目标可以分为四个主要领域：1。通过在三个不同的国际学术期刊上发表文章，为能源地理学、社会科学和规划领域做出贡献，并通过在国际规划会议上发表演讲，发展和传播博士研究的学术影响。通过在国际行业会议上发表论文，并在博客、行业出版物和政策简报等一系列产出中发表论文，增加博士研究结果对政策、行业和社会的影响。3 .通过海外机构访问和美国的小规模研究项目，开始下一阶段的理论发展和实证调查，包括绘制基础设施废弃的路径。通过利用导师流程和员工培训课程，发展自己的学术技能和职业生涯。

In the context of a global transition to decarbonise the energy system, expanding energy output from renewables is increasingly important. However, space for renewable infrastructure is limited and existing facilities are becoming life-expired. Given tightening planning and land restrictions, keeping consented infrastructure in place is likely to form a key part of ensuring that energy targets are met. Most existing research in this area has focused on initial siting decisions for renewable infrastructure with a lack of consideration of what may happen in the longer-term future. Addressing this, my PhD provided the first systematic assessment of how end-of-life decisions are made, exploring how different actors consider the duration of sites, how their perceptions may change over time and how this is reflected in decision making.The thesis produced a wealth of data including an analysis of all relevant UK planning and energy policies, data on the age and status of all UK wind farms incorporating details of repowering and life-extension, case study research into four wind farms and one solar farm including in-depth interviews with all relevant actors and surveys of residents living close to two wind farms. The findings revealed a range of potential challenges, most significantly the dominance of developer's economic calculations in shaping decisions, the marginalisation of publics and landscape concerns, but also the evident potential for infrastructure to be abandoned i.e. not removed at the end of its life. It also provided suggestions regarding how to mitigate such challenges. Theoretically the thesis provides innovative insights regarding the impacts of how the planning system considers and regulates time and reveals the benefits of applying a Deleuzian approach to exploring planning regulation. Through doing so it provides an opportunity to recast the way we think about key temporal processes such as the energy transition.Building on the thesis findings this fellowship will be used to drive forward the following:-Communicate the opportunities and challenges facing decision making for onshore wind and solar when sites reach the end-of-life stage and provide recommendations regarding end-of-life planning policy and the duration of planning permission.-Highlight the risks and missed opportunities arising from elements that get left outside of the initial decision making process when planning permission is granted. These elements, such as inadequate decommissioning requirements, can return to cause challenges as the infrastructure approaches end-of-life.-Disseminate findings regarding how community perceptions change over the life of the infrastructure and how they are often not reflected in end-of-life decision making, as well as recommendations regarding how they could be better included.-Re-think how temporal concerns are considered within planning and the transition to low carbon energy systems, by recognising how infrastructural systems are always in a state of flux.The aims of the fellowship can be categorised into four main areas:1. Develop and disseminate the academic impact of the PhD research through publishing articles in three different international academic journals, contributing to the fields of energy geography, social science and planning and through presenting at an international planning conference.2. Increase the policy, industry and societal impacts of the PhD findings through presenting at an international industry conference and publishing in a range of outputs including blogs, industry publications and policy briefs.3. Initiate the next phase of theoretical development and empirical investigation through an overseas institutional visit and small-scale research project in America involving mapping the pathways to infrastructure abandonment.4. Develop my skills and career as an academic through utilising the mentorship process and staff training courses.