The present and future of offshore wind in Spain: An analysis of discourses

Offshore wind energy has major potential in Spain, which is seeking to install 3000 MW by 2030. This technology is subject to considerable social debate, yet to date there has been no analysis that allows having systematized information about the opinions, values and subjective beliefs related to offshore wind energy. We present a novel study based on the Q-method, which allows identifying discourses about offshore wind energy according to the opinions of several stakeholders. Based on the opinions of 207 individuals, four discourses are identified. These discourses differ according to the level of expertise of the participants. The majority discourse highlights that the development of offshore wind in Spain will have major economic impacts and that its environmental impacts are not very relevant. The motivations behind this discourse are far removed from the arguments related to the fight against climate change included in European policies. The second discourse by order of importance argues that there are other alternatives to offshore wind and that affected stakeholders need to be involved in the decision-making, and it expresses concern about the negative impacts of offshore wind. This becomes the main discourse if we consider only individuals who are non-experts on energy matters.