While there are ambitious government targets to increase the share of renewable energy and to reduce energy consumption in the energy strategy 2050, it is recognized today that social acceptance may be a constraining factor in achieving these targets. In some disciplines, research on Social Acceptance («Akzeptanzforschung») in energy is still in its infancy; in other fields, in particular if used to alter behaviour by way of «social engineering», it is already highly criticized by some scholars. This symposium aims at finding interdisciplinary approaches to determine social acceptance of new ways to supply, distri-bute and use energy, e.g. for wind and hydro power, transmission lines and the smart grid. Starting by «de-learning» established disciplinary concepts, we will seek a common understanding of the term social acceptance as well as the possibilities and limits of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research in this field. This symposium is the first yearly conference of SCCER CREST, the Competence Center for Research in Energy, Society and Transition, one of the Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research established by the Federal Commission for Technology and Innovation. It is hosted by the University of St.Gallen Law School, the Research Center for Information Law and the Institute for Legal Studies and Legal Practice. The conference is for CREST members and affiliates from all disciplines. Practitioners from industry and other fields as well as the general public are welcome. The symposium will be held in a multilingual format.

Peter Hettich

6 Nov 2014