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This article seeks to contribute to the knowledge of energy transitions in Europe by focusing on community perceptions in two European regions belonging to two divergent spatial models of energy transition on the continent. Through a series of questions, it addresses the social assessment of the impact of renewable energies in three main dimensions: environmental, landscape and socio-economic. The article is based on the comparison of two case studies, the province of Jaén (Spain) and the county of Somogy (Hungary). Both are characterised as rural inland regions with a similar level of renewable energy development (not very high) and fairly similar socio-economic characteristics (agrarian economy and ageing). The results show that there are no major differences between the two territories. In general, there is a tendency to assess the impact of renewable energies as negative, especially in the case of wind farms, with the exception of the positive assessment made by respondents when they were asked about local tourism. However, the option “No impact” was mainly selected by respondents when assessing the impact in most questions. Factors such as the lack of knowledge and information, the lack of social consideration in projects or even a lack of interest towards these topics could explain this social stance. Este artículo pretende contribuir al conocimiento de las transiciones energéticas en Europa centrándose en las percepciones de las comunidades de dos regiones europeas pertenecientes a dos modelos espaciales divergentes de transición energética en el continente. A través de varias preguntas, aborda la evaluación social del impacto de las energías renovables en tres dimensiones principales: medioambiental, paisajística y socioeconómica. El artículo se basa en la comparación de dos estudios de caso, la provincia de Jaén (España) y el condado de Somogy (Hungría). Ambas se caracterizan por ser regiones rurales de interior con un nivel similar de desarrollo de energías renovables (no muy elevado) y características socioeconómicas bastante parecidas (economía agraria y envejecimiento). Los resultados muestran que no existen grandes diferencias entre territorios. En general, se aprecia una tendencia a valorar el impacto de las energías renovables como negativo, especialmente para el caso de los parques eólicos, con excepción de la valoración positiva que hacen los encuestados al ser preguntados por el turismo local. Sin embargo, la opción “Sin impacto” fue la más seleccionada por los encuestados a la hora de valorar el impacto en la mayoría de las preguntas. Factores como la falta de conocimiento e información, la falta de consideración social en los proyectos o incluso la falta de interés hacia estos temas podrían explicar esta postura social. This paper was elaborated in the scope of the research carried out within the project “Adaptation to sustainable energy transition in Europe: Environmental, socio-economic and cultural aspects (ADAPTAS)” (Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and State Research Agency of Spain, and European Regional Development Fund, CSO2017-86975-R). The first author thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training for the scholarship “FPU18/01549”. It is part of a PhD thesis conducted within the Doctoral Programme in City, Territory and Sustainable Planning at the University of Granada, Spain.

The energy policies of the different countries of the European Union are marked by the community objectives of achieving a 32% of renewable energy consumption of total consumption by 2030. Although there are ambitious objectives to promote the energy transition in the EU, the development of RES has been uneven between countries. The article analyzes how the energy transition process is developing in Spain and Hungary through a comparative study of the institutional contexts on which this process is based. Two countries whose natural potential has allowed them to be ambitious in their renewable energy development projections, but which must propose a new approach to their energy systems if they want to achieve their full development. Along with structural problems such as the energy tradition linked to hydrocarbons, the monopolization of electricity markets or administrative complexity, the social and landscape dimension of renewables are emerging as new challenges for both countries. The objective of the article is to analyze the similarities and differences between the two models of energy development that allow to exemplify the various national realities behind this European objective and to understand the uneven energy transition in different European countries.

Due to its ambitious policies Spain has achieved a very successful implementation of renewable energy (RE) projects, which peaked in 2000-2010. Over the first decade of the 21st century decentralized energy infrastructures have spread quickly through rural areas in Spain. In some cases, they have transformed their physical landscape. This has raised issues regarding landscape practices and values. These infrastructures have often been a source of tension, triggering the emergence of new attitudes towards landscape. The aim of this paper is to analyse the impact of energy transition in Andalusian landscapes in order to identify success factors and social barriers affecting the rate of RE implementation and the role of this new landscape in the energy transition in Andalusia. Academia Andaluza de Ciencia Regional Instituto de Desarrollo Regional-UGR Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and State Research Agency of Spain, and European Regional Development Fund