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Social acceptability

Energy Transition and Social Acceptability: From Research to Practice

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Session organizer

Véronique Yelle

Transfert Environnement et Société

This session will look at the various factors influencing the social acceptability of the energy transition. Speakers will share their perspectives and experiences on how research and practice can complement each other to promote a successful energy transition.

Alice Friser, Professor at the Université du Québec en Outaouais, will discuss the factors of social acceptability in renewable energy and GHG capture projects. She will highlight the results of her research and the practical implications for energy projects.

Geneviève Chouinard, Head of Regional Affairs and Community Relations at Hydro-Québec, will share her experience on community relations and how these relations can create synergy to improve the social acceptability of energy projects.

Cédric Bourgeois, Founding Partner and Vice-President at Transfert Environnement et Société, will share his experience of collaborative strategies and best practices for integrating stakeholder concerns into energy transition projects.

This session promises valuable insights and enriching discussions on how to translate academic research into field practice, and how the latter influences research for a socially acceptable energy transition.

 

9:00 a.m.

Welcome Address

Véronique Yelle

Transfert Environnement et Société

9:05 a.m.

Measuring social acceptability: the case of renewable energy projects

Alice Friser

Université du Québec en Outaouais

Conference details

Although renewable energy projects are crucial for the energy transition, they often face significant opposition, which can hinder their implementation and result in substantial financial losses and reputational harm. To prevent this situation, some organizations are now focusing on evaluating the social acceptability of their projects early on. However, they face a major obstacle: effectively assessing and measuring social acceptability. This communication explores how literature has addressed this challenge. After setting out the terms of the debate on measuring social acceptability, we provide an overview of research in this area, including the scope and the methods favoured by researchers interested in measuring renewable energy projects’ social acceptability. Finally, we highlight the social acceptability factors attracting attention from renewable energy researchers.

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