JustRE Research

This research initiative provides a robust evidence base to help overcome social barriers to the deployment of large-scale renewable energy in the Global South. Resistance and conflict at community level are increasingly delaying or derailing projects. Yet, the sector lacks clear understanding of the scale and drivers of these social dynamics, or where excellence and support networks already exist.

Commissioned under the JustRE Alliance, this project has two complementary components:

1. Assessing the impact of social resistance on deployment speed – through a systematic review of case studies and evidence from Africa, Latin America, South and Southeast Asia. The research delivers an actionable framework to understand and mitigate delays caused by unresolved social conflicts.
2. Mapping the social performance ecosystem – identifying key actors, initiatives, gaps, and opportunities in the RE social performance landscape in the same regions, and convening stakeholders through three online workshops to validate findings and prioritise needs.

The findings will inform developers, governments, financiers, civil society, and communities on where and how to strengthen social excellence practices. The evidence will also guide JustRE’s future work, identifying where support is most urgently needed and where emerging excellence can be amplified.

Through evidence-based insights and a strengthened knowledge base, the project contributes to making renewable energy projects more socially just, locally supported, and climate-effective.