I am a researcher at ENEA, the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development in Italy. Additionally, I am an Associate Professor of Social Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. My expertise lies in environmental sociology, focusing on the social aspects of sustainable energy production and consumption, as well as their policy implications. Some of the specific topics I have worked on include energy communities, social acceptability of renewable energy sources, energy social innovations, energy poverty, and energy justice. I have gained extensive experience through various projects, including the horizon projects ACCTING, SMARTEES, and ENTRANCES. In 2017, I completed my PhD at the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure, and Society of Heriot-Watt University in the UK, where I researched the social acceptability of onshore wind farms. Following this, I held positions at several universities in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Norway, eventually being appointed as an associate professor with tenure. I have authored a monograph titled “Wind Power and Public Engagement: Co-operatives and Community Ownership” published by Routledge, as well as numerous peer-reviewed journal articles. Notably, two of my papers were cited in official reports by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
Adopting an interdisciplinary social science approach, this book examines community reactions to wind farms to form a new understanding of what facilitates social acceptance.
Based on empirical research, Wind Power and Public Engagement investigates opposition to wind energy and considers the advantages as well as the limits of the co-operative model of wind farm community ownership. Giuseppe Pellegrini-Masini compares the role of co-operative schemes with community benefits schemes in increasing acceptability, and also sheds light on the impact of social factors including pro-environmental attitudes, perceived benefits and costs, place attachment, trust, as well as individuals’ resources such as information and income. Five research cases are investigated in England and Scotland, including the first local, community-owned wind farm co-operative in the UK. Critically reviewing existing social research theories, the book offers a new viewpoint, integrating rational choice and environmental attitudinal theories, from which to assess and understand the social acceptability of wind energy. It also highlights new opportunities for raising consensus in communities around locally proposed wind farms.
The book will be of great interest to students and scholars of renewable energy, energy policy, environmental sociology, environmental psychology, environmental planning and sustainability in general, as well as policymakers.
Publications
2024
Boostani, P., Pellegrini-Masini, G., & Klein, J. (2024). The Role of Community Energy Schemes in Reducing Energy Poverty and Promoting Social Inclusion: A Systematic Literature Review. Energies, 17(13), 3232.
Gladkykh, G., Pellegrini-Masini, G., Oliveira Boumann, R. T., Sciullo, A., Poganietz, W. R., Borragán Pedraz, G., ... & Vela Almeida, D. R. (2024). White Paper: A Just Energy Transition in the EU. EERA.
2023
Lestar, T., & Pellegrini-Masini, G. (2023). The Agency of Children and Young People in Sustainability Transitions: Eco-Spiritual Events on Hare Krishna Eco-Farms in Europe. In Events Management for the Infant and Youth Market (pp. 85-99). Emerald Publishing Limited.
2022
Lundheim, S. H., Pellegrini-Masini, G., Klöckner, C. A., & Geiss, S. (2022). Developing a theoretical framework to explain the social acceptability of wind energy. Energies, 15(14), 4934.
2021
Egner, L.E., Klöckner, C.A. and Pellegrini-Masini, G.P., (2021) Low free-riding at the cost of subsidizing the rich. Replicating Swiss energy retrofit subsidy findings in Norway. Energy and Buildings, p.111542.
Pellegrini-Masini, G., Egner, L.E., Klöckner, C.A., Löfström, E., (2021) Sustainable Energy Policies and Equality: Is There a Nexus? Inferences From the Analysis of EU Statistical and Survey Data. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities.
Corvino, F., Pellegrini-Masini, G., Pirni, A. and Maran, S. (2021) Compensation for Energy Infrastructures: Can a Capability Approach be More Equitable? Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Routledge, pp. 1–21.
Cohen, J.J., Azarova, V., Klöckner, C.A., Kollmann, A., Löfström, E., Pellegrini-Masini, G., Polhill, J.G., et al. (2021), Tackling the challenge of interdisciplinary energy research: A research toolkit. Energy Research & Social Science, Elsevier, Vol. 74, p. 101966.
2020
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe. (2020) Wind Power and Public Engagement: Co-operatives and Community Ownership. Routledge. 2020. ISBN 9781138589100.
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe; Pirni, Alberto Eugenio Ermenegildo; Maran, Stefano; Klöckner, Christian A.. (2020) Delivering a timely and Just Energy Transition: which policy research priorities? Environmental Policy and Governance.
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe; Pirni, Alberto Eugenio Ermenegildo; Maran, Stefano. (2019) Energy justice revisited: A critical review on the philosophical and political origins of equality. Energy Research & Social Science. vol. 59.
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe; Corvino, Fausto; Löfquist, Lars. (2020) Energy Justice and Intergenerational Ethics: Theoretical Perspectives and Institutional Designs. Energy Justice Across Borders.
2019
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe. (2019) Energy equality and energy sufficiency: new policy principles to accelerate the energy transition. eceee 2019 Summer Study on energy efficiency: Is efficient sufficient?
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe; Corvino, Fausto; Pirni, Alberto Eugenio Ermenegildo. (2019) Climate justice in practice: adapting democratic institutions for environmental citizenship. A Research Agenda for Climate Justice.
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe; Macsinga, Irina; Albulescu, Patricia; Löfström, Erica; Coralia, Sulea; Dumitru, Adina; Nayum, Alim. (2019) D6.1 Report on social innovation drivers, barriers, actors and network structures. European Commission. 2019.
2018
Maran, Stefano; Pirni, Alberto Eugenio Ermenegildo; Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe. (2018) Raccomandazioni per il coinvolgimento degli stakeholder nello sviluppo della rete. 2018.
2012
Leishman, Chris; Orr, A.M.; Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe. (2012) The impact of carbon emission reducing design features on office occupiers’ choice of premises. Urban Studies.
2011
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe; Leishman, Chris. (2011) The role of corporate reputation and employees’ values in the uptake of energy efficiency in office buildings. Energy Policy.
2010
Jenkins, David; Banfill, P.F.; Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe. (2010) Non-domestic conclusions of the Tarbase project –Reducing CO2 emissions of existing buildings. Heriot-Watt University.
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe; Bowels, G.; Peacock, A.; Ahadzi, M.; Banfill, P.F.. (2010) Whole life costing of domestic energy demand reduction technologies: householder perspectives. Construction Management and Economics.
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe; Jenkins, David; McLaren, Gary; Bowles, Greaeme; Buchan, Ross. (2010) Economic barriers to low-carbon office refurbishments. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Improving Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings: IEECB Focus 2010.
2009
Peacock, Andrew; Jackson, Tim; Berry, Ali; Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe; Ahadzi, M.. (2009) Market Development Potential of Residential Refurbishment Packages. Act! Innovate! Deliver! Reducing energy demand sustainably: ECEEE 2009 Summer Study Proceedings.
2008
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe. (2008) Book Review: Spaces of Sustainability: Geographical Perspectives on the Sustainable Society Mark Whitehead, 2007 London: Routledge 242 pp. £22.50 paperback ISBN 9780415358040 Green Cities: Urban Growth and the Environment Matthew E. Kahn, 2006 Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press 160 pp. £11.99 Paperback ISBN 139780815748151. Urban Studies. vol. 45 (4).
2007
Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe. (2007) The carbon-saving behaviour of residential households. 51st IFHP World Congress ; 2007-09-23 - 2007-09-26.