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Offshore wind farms are widely considered to become a cornerstone of energy transition for securing energy supply and tackling climate change simultaneously. But recent developments have demonstrated that the siting of offshore wind farms is far from being conflict-free, evoking confrontations with a number of stakeholder interests. Such real-life evidence implies a reductio ad absurdum, as offshore wind farms are generally supposed to be less contested than the ones onshore and therefore more convenient for local communities. By drawing on two case studies in Scotland and Germany (Argyll Array / Baltic 1), this thesis examines various conflicts that emerge from the siting of offshore wind farms and compares their underlying causes as well as their implications and institutional consideration in the planning process. In order to understand the conflicts over offshore wind farms, the research employs the epistemological framework of ‘space-related conflicts’ which turns the attention to conflicting interests, values and practices of affected actors as well as to the significance of structural and spatial conditions. Throughout the thesis, it will be argued that it is not the wind farms per se that are contested, but that the conflicts rather revolve around the places and spaces which are meant to be changed by the siting of offshore wind farms. The findings show that both case studies reflect similar conflicts, where adverse impacts on coastal tourism and environmental impacts turned out to be the key issues for local opponents from the public. However, even though key controversies are comparable, major differences result from the rationales that opponents invoke to substantiate their concerns and more dominantly from the existing planning frameworks which pre-structure the power relations and dynamics of public engagement. The comparative study concludes by suggesting some policy recommendations for future practices of dealing with affected actors. Therefore, the research findings do not just provide a contribution to the theoretical debates about the formation of resistance to renewables, but they also present practical implications relevant to policy-makers.

The energy system transition requires a radical transformation of the whole energy system. These changes reach out to the everyday lives of individuals making them key stakeholders in the transition. The way the public is involved in the energy transition is evolving towards encompassing the scope of the challenge but is hindered by many implementation challenges. As many of the measures to decarbonise the energy system reach out to the everyday lives of individuals and across society, it is not feasible to attempt to achieve them with only top-down measures. Bottom-up action is not enough in itself either, as the more active role of the public in the energy transition has been hindered by insufficient resources and a lack of policy support. Instead, a facilitative approach is needed. As the energy transition is not possible without the involvement of the public, questions over who participates (or does not, or cannot) and who benefits from the transition are not just moral considerations but also questions over the effectiveness of the transition. The main aim of this research is to evaluate emerging governance arrangements that facilitate public involvement in the energy transition. It examines key discourses in two case study countries (Scotland and Ireland) and analyses these using a governmentality approach. This facilitates the use of concepts such as problematisation, technologies and rationalities, which are used to investigate how varying stakeholders in Ireland and Scotland discuss the role of the public in the energy system. To analyse the connections between varying perspectives, another analytical tool, interplay, is introduced. The data for this research consists of interviews with key stakeholders, policy documents, policy consultation submissions, public event recordings, and reports by key stakeholders. Analysing how public involvement in its many forms is problematised, what strategies are adopted, and what moral elaborations guide this gives insights into how the public is governed and what challenges and opportunities are connected to this, which poses one of the most crucial challenges for the energy transition. This has resulted in several contributions. First, the research contributes to the understanding of involvement, the Whole-of-Society approach, and governmentality. The second category of contributions relates to methodology, and the use of novel methods during a pandemic. Lastly, the research highlights that there have been main themes under which the measures to aim to involve the public in the transition can be categorised; awareness raising, inspiring, and empowerment. The analysis of the different stakeholder perspectives in relation to these strategies highlights conflicts between how the public is imagined and the adopted practices, indicating a need to reconsider the prevalent rationalities connected to the involvement of the public in the energy transition.

The main emphasis of the thesis is the importance of theocracy as a form of government. This is studied in the light of God's universal sovereignty as Calvin understands it in the word "delegation." This is different in form from the ideas of: "pure" theocracy - the sole rule of God, or "incarnate" theocracy - the presence of a ruler descended from a divine being; in that it is ordained, empowered, appointed by God and universal in concept even though different in form. The method of study is that of studying basic doctrines of each position; analyzing the particular governmental form; and finally, contrasting Calvin's position with the Old Testament, Aquinas' monarchical and Locke's democratic theocracies. [TRUNCATED]