Assessing good governance principles of renewable energy megaprojects

Australia has a net zero emission target by 2050. The transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources is critical to meeting this target and the construction of large-scale renewable energy projects is booming. These developments bring economic benefits, but their size means they can also have environmental and social consequences. Rural landscapes are particularly vulnerable because they are expected to be at the forefront of new large-scale renewable energy developments. Such projects are complex and, although they might be socially acceptable, need to be managed and governed well if they are to proceed smoothly. Good governance incorporates fairness, trust and transparency, aspects that foster public acceptance for renewable energy projects. While social acceptance has attracted substantial research, little is known about the public's views on the governance of renewable energy megaprojects. In Australia, a continent with abundant solar radiation and space, large projects are novel and our study aimed to assess which good governance principles the public considers to be most important if megaprojects are to be approved for construction in remote Australia. This insight can complement state and investors views on governance. We carried out an Australia-wide online survey that included a best-worst scaling (BWS) experiment and received 2223 valid responses, using an ambitious 12,000ha solar megafarm planned for remote northern Australia as a case study. The most important governance principal for respondents was taking responsibility for environmental risk, followed by benefits such as cheap energy and jobs for the local community - governance principles referred to as responsiveness and participation. Accountability if something goes wrong was also perceived as important, but mainly by those respondents who lived in the jurisdiction that is the proposed host of the solar megafarm, and less so by people living in other places of Australia. Perhaps surprisingly, the governance principles of transparency, fairness and the rule of law were considered to be less important. Adhering to national regulations was also affected by the location of respondents, with those living closer to the proposed megafarm being least concerned about adherence.