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<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">WESD</journal-id>
<journal-title-group>
<journal-title>Wind Energy Science Discussions</journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">WESD</abbrev-journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="nlm-ta">Wind Energ. Sci. Discuss.</abbrev-journal-title>
</journal-title-group>
<issn pub-type="epub">2366-7621</issn>
<publisher><publisher-name></publisher-name>
<publisher-loc>Göttingen, Germany</publisher-loc>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.5194/wes-2026-42</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title>A Perspective on Grand Challenges in Social Aspects of Wind Energy</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Kitzing</surname>
<given-names>Lena</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8627-7558</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Rudolph</surname>
<given-names>David</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Nyborg</surname>
<given-names>Sophie</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Solman</surname>
<given-names>Helena</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0183-7120</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Cronin</surname>
<given-names>Tom</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Hübner</surname>
<given-names>Gundula</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Gill</surname>
<given-names>Elizabeth</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff4">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Tegen</surname>
<given-names>Suzanne</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff5">
<sup>5</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Kirkegaard</surname>
<given-names>Julia K.</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9340-7202</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff6">
<sup>6</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
</contrib-group><aff id="aff1">
<label>1</label>
<addr-line>Department of Wind and Energy Systems, Technical University of Denmark, Risø Campus, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff2">
<label>2</label>
<addr-line>Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, 6705, The Netherlands</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff3">
<label>3</label>
<addr-line>Institute of Psychology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, MSH Medical School, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and Medical University, Hamburg, 20457, Germany</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff4">
<label>4</label>
<addr-line>Earth Finance, Seattle, Washington, 98101, USA</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff5">
<label>5</label>
<addr-line>Center for the New Energy Economy, Colorado State University, Powerhouse Energy Campus, Fort Collins, Colorado,  80523, USA</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff6">
<label>6</label>
<addr-line>Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Section of Science and Technology Studies, Technical University  of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark</addr-line>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>03</day>
<month>03</month>
<year>2026</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>2026</volume>
<fpage>1</fpage>
<lpage>11</lpage>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>Copyright: &#x000a9; 2026 Lena Kitzing et al.</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2026</copyright-year>
<license license-type="open-access">
<license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"  xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ext-link></license-p>
</license>
</permissions>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://wes.copernicus.org/preprints/wes-2026-42/">This article is available from https://wes.copernicus.org/preprints/wes-2026-42/</self-uri>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://wes.copernicus.org/preprints/wes-2026-42/wes-2026-42.pdf">The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://wes.copernicus.org/preprints/wes-2026-42/wes-2026-42.pdf</self-uri>
<abstract>
<p>Wind energy is central to the global transition toward zero-carbon energy systems. Yet, its development increasingly intersects with complex social dynamics. This perspective highlights the grand social challenges facing wind energy, emphasising the need to move beyond techno-centric paradigms and toward inclusive, interdisciplinary socio-technical approaches. Drawing on recent research and field experience, we describe five grand social challenges for wind energy: spatial relations, acceptable turbine design, smart integration, public perception, and policy frameworks. We argue that addressing these challenges requires rethinking the relationship between wind energy and society&amp;mdash;not as a barrier to overcome, but as a co-creative force in shaping sustainable energy futures.</p>
</abstract>
<counts><page-count count="11"/></counts>
<funding-group>
<award-group id="gs1">
<funding-source>Energiteknologisk udviklings- og demonstrationsprogram</funding-source>
<award-id>134251-549150</award-id>
</award-group>
</funding-group>
</article-meta>
</front>
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<back>
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</article>