Best Practice Forever? Dynamics behind the Perception of Farm-Fed Anaerobic Digestion Plants in Rural Peripheries

Stanislav Martinát, Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk, Marián Kulla, Josef Navrátil, Petr Klusáček, Petr Dvořák, Ladislav Novotný, Tomáš Krejčí, Loránt Pregi, Jakub Trojan and Bohumil Frantál
Additional contact information
Stanislav Martinát: Social, Economic and Geographic Sciences Group, The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, 8, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, UK
Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk: Department of Urban and Regional Development Studies, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Torun, Poland
Marián Kulla: Institute of Geography, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Josef Navrátil: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Social and Economic Geography and Spatial Management, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-205 Sosnowiec, Poland
Petr Klusáček: Department of Regional Development, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University, Třída Generála Píky 2005/7, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Petr Dvořák: Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Chittussiho 10, 710 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
Ladislav Novotný: Institute of Geography, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Tomáš Krejčí: Department of Environmental Security, Faculty of Logistics and Crisis Management, Tomas Bata University, Studentské nám. 1532, 686 01 Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic
Loránt Pregi: Institute of Geography, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
Jakub Trojan: Department of Environmental Security, Faculty of Logistics and Crisis Management, Tomas Bata University, Studentské nám. 1532, 686 01 Uherské Hradiště, Czech Republic
Bohumil Frantál: Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, 17. listopadu 12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: Anaerobic digestion (AD) plants undoubtedly represent an integral and irreplaceable element in rural energy transition and sustainable waste management. In our study, we focus on an advanced understanding of the dynamics behind the changing perceptions of AD plants in host communities in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. The surveyed AD plant case studies were selected to represent best-practice examples of AD plant operations in their countries. By means of a comparative survey in three host communities, we seek to learn more about the shift in perceptions of AD plants between their planning and operational phases. We find that, although our cases are considered best-practice examples of AD plant operations, their overall support in their communities dramatically dropped in the operational phase consequent to real-life experience with living in the neighbourhood of an AD plant. Additionally, our findings indicate that respondents who reported the most severe deterioration of AD plant perceptions were, surprisingly, those who had participated in the planning process more than other respondents. The most frequently mentioned type of participation in the planning phase was reported to be visits to the local administration office to inspect an AD plant’s planning documentation. We argue that deteriorating perceptions of best-practice examples of AD plant operations negatively impact the further development and acceptance of the biogas sector in Eastern Europe. The element of acceptance by the locals of AD plant operations urgently requires reflection in the definition of best practices to inspire and upgrade both existing and planned biogas energy projects.

Keywords: biogas; anaerobic digestion plants; preferences; rural change; energy transition; Eastern Europe; Central Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/7/2533/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/7/2533/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:7:p:2533-:d:783240

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().