Resilient energy landscapes: A spatial quest?

The past decade has seen a swift increase in societal and political commitment to shift towards a more sustainable energy system. This commitment is confirmed by European Union Climate and Energy targets (CEC, 2010). Among the prime means to accommodate such a shift is the increased use of renewables in the energy mix, which the European Union has set at a twenty percent share in 2020. The use of renewables will have vast spatial implications. Fossil fuels are often found below the surface and transported to centralised units to produce electricity or the distribution of fuels. Renewables such as wind, solar or hydropower are often above the surface, highly visible and require vast amounts of space. Hence, we will have to accept energy production becoming an increasingly prominent part of our landscapes.