För att minska Sveriges utsläpp ses övergången från fossila bränslen till eldrift som en av lösningarna, vilket förväntas öka det årliga elbehovet från 140 TWh till 330 TWh år 2045. Vindkraften väntas till följd av detta bli den mest utbyggda energikällan de kommande 20 åren. Vindkraften är dock väderberoende och kräver därför pålitlig reglerkraft, där kärnkraft utgör ett alternativ. Både vindkraft och kärnkraft kan således utgöra viktiga komponenter i ett stabilt energisystem. Utbyggnaden och lokaliseringen av ny energiinfrastruktur möter dock lokalt motstånd, vilket gett upphov till begreppet NIMBY (Not In My Backyard). Det är vanligt att lokala politiker tar hänsyn till lokala åsikter och stoppar vindkraftsprojekt med hjälp av kommunens vetorätt. Det krävs därför förståelse för de faktorer som påverkar den lokala vindkraftsopinionen. Denna rapport utforskade genom en enkätstudie och litteraturstudie åsiktsbildning kring en planerad vindkraftsetablering i Orsa kommun. Syftet var att undersöka potentiella samband mellan invånarnas inställning till den planerade etableringen och geografiska avstånd samt specifika orosfaktorer. Dessutom undersöktes eventuella samband mellan befolkningens inställning till lokal vindkraft och lokal kärnkraft. Med hjälp av en kvantitativ forskningsansats och statistiska analyser bearbetades insamlade enkätdata för att bidra till rapportens resultat och slutsatser. Resultatet visade att det lokala motståndet i Orsa ökade ju kortare avstånd respondenterna angav att de hade till vindkraftsetableringen. Däremot kunde det lokala motståndet inte beskrivas av NIMBY. Inställningen kunde i stället kopplas till oro för minskade fastighetsvärden, buller, förändrad landskapsbild, minskat attraktionsvärde för bygden, skador på djur och natur samt återvinning av rotorblad. Undersökningen kunde även påvisa ett samband mellan en negativ inställning till lokal vindkraft och en positiv inställning till lokal kärnkraft, och tvärtom. Framtida forskning bör fokusera på att bekräfta eller avslå myter om vindkraften, för att minska närboendes oro och därmed det lokala motståndet, alternativt genom att identifiera åtgärder som kan minska vindkraftens påverkan på bland annat människor, djur och natur. Det vore även värdefullt med ytterligare forskning som syftar till att bättre förstå de polariserade åsikterna kring vindkraft och kärnkraft och som undersöker om vindkraftsmotståndare upplever att riskerna med vindkraft är större än de med kärnkraft. / The need to electrify the Swedish society in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is creating unprecedented demand for additional fossil free energy infrastructure. Currently the annual power consumption reaches 140 TWh, but estimates suggest that 330 TWh will be required to meet demand by 2045. Wind and nuclear power are both expected to play significant roles in the future energy system. However, the siting and establishment of new energy infrastructure is creating local resistance, often described as NIMBY. The Swedish legislation is unique in granting municipalities the power to veto new power installations. Consequently, local opinions significantly influence whether wind farms are built or not. This creates a need to comprehend the factors that contribute to local resistance.  This thesis examined opinions related to a proposed wind power project in Orsa municipality, using both a survey and a literature review. The aim was to explore potential correlations between local opinions, geographical distances, and perceived negative impacts of the wind power project, as well as correlations between local wind power opinions and attitudes toward local nuclear power. Using a quantitative research approach and statistical analytics, the collected survey data was used to form the result and conclusions of this thesis. The results indicated that local resistance in Orsa increased as residents were situated closer to the proposed wind power site. Interestingly, the resistance could not be attributed to NIMBY-ism. Instead, opinions were linked to concerns about perceived negative impacts on property values, noise, visual changes in the landscape, the district’s attractiveness, impacts on nature and wildlife, and challenges related to the recycling of the rotor blades. Additionally, the survey revealed a correlation between negative opinions toward local wind power and positive attitudes toward local nuclear power, and vice versa. Future research should aim to verify or debunk myths surrounding wind power, to reduce concerns associated with proposed establishments or to find strategies to mitigate the impacts of wind power on nearby communities and natural environments. Furthermore, there is a need for research to explain the polarised opinions that divide support for wind power and nuclear power, as well as to explore if wind power resistors perceive risks associated with nuclear power as less significant.

The global climate threat has intensified Sweden’s ambitions to build wind power stations. This thesis explores the planning of, and opposition to, wind power in the inland rural and forest regions of Sweden. It is in these autonomous communities that the plans are implemented and the aim of the thesis was to, from a local perspective, understand and analyse the planning and acceptance challenges that large-scale wind power development faces in places that are both sparsely populated and have good wind conditions. This thesis is based on qualitative methods and was conducted as two studies. The case study area comprises four municipalities in Dalarna County. The first study analyses the planning and establishment process in three municipalities using interviews and an analysis method called process tracing. The second study analyses one wind power establishment, in which the interviews form the basis for a discourse analytical approach. One striking finding highlights the relationship between the global and the local. Global environment and energy aspects are absent in the local process, and wind power becomes a technical land issue that clashes with other local land interests. Another finding of the study reveals that planning for wind power establishment follows a rational planning tradition. The feelings and memories of the individual – different views regarding the landscape – play a background role in the formal permit process, while measurable observable conditions have a more prominent role. Wind power developers thereby acquire a more significant position than what they probably would have had if the planning had included local residents’ views on wind power in the landscape at an early stage.

The global climate threat has intensified Sweden’s ambitions to build wind power stations. This thesis explores the planning of, and opposition to, wind power in the inland rural and forest regions of Sweden. It is in these autonomous communities that the plans are implemented and the aim of the thesis was to, from a local perspective, understand and analyse the planning and acceptance challenges that large-scale wind power development faces in places that are both sparsely populated and have good wind conditions. This thesis is based on qualitative methods and was conducted as two studies. The case study area comprises four municipalities in Dalarna County. The first study analyses the planning and establishment process in three municipalities using interviews and an analysis method called process tracing. The second study analyses one wind power establishment, in which the interviews form the basis for a discourse analytical approach. One striking finding highlights the relationship between the global and the local. Global environment and energy aspects are absent in the local process, and wind power becomes a technical land issue that clashes with other local land interests. Another finding of the study reveals that planning for wind power establishment follows a rational planning tradition. The feelings and memories of the individual – different views regarding the landscape – play a background role in the formal permit process, while measurable observable conditions have a more prominent role. Wind power developers thereby acquire a more significant position than what they probably would have had if the planning had included local residents’ views on wind power in the landscape at an early stage.

The aim with this study is to analyze and try to understand the arguments and conflicts associated with the planning and development of offshore wind power in Sweden, and to study various media articles and their significance for offshore wind power in Sweden. A qualitative method has been applied in the form of a media analysis. The material for the study is based on diverse types of articles from the media in the form of news articles, commentaries, and debate articles. The articles I have chosen to analyze come mostly from the most popular news editors in Sweden; "Aftonbladet", "Dagens Nyheter" and "Svenska Dagbladet". There are also news articles from local newspapers so that even smaller local events can be captured and studied. Further in this study, media such as Swedish Radio and SVT Nyheter have been applied where shorter news items can be examined. This result shows how the opposition and arguments for and against offshore wind power are played out in the media and that the media can function as an information provider for offshore wind power linked to the planning and expansion of offshore wind power in Sweden. Many opinions want to highlight the negative consequences of offshore wind power, mainly from a local point of view. In some cases, opposition is also about preserving nature's values and not making interventions in nature that affect biodiversity, but this is something that "NIMBY" may have led to. That media coverage of the topic is largely based on informing people about ongoing projects and preparing press releases with important information about the projects, as well as acting as an information channel.