Move from resistance to collaboration in renewable energy projects.
At the Earning Local Support Academy (ELSA) we help renewable energy developers
and host communities co-design projects that deliver:
👉 Strong returns for developers
👉 Achievable national energy security and climate targets
👉 Secure futures for local communities
Stop losing time, trust and money in legal battles or one-way engagement.
I want to see how ELSA can work for me
Led by AstonECO Management
Peer reviewed by the University of Galway
R&D behind ELSA co-financed by SEAI
ELSA is the result of 35 years of project experience and research
👉 10 years of developing natural resource projects in engineering and top management positions
👉 20 years resolving costly local conflicts in natural resource projects
👉 5 years of research with Earning Local Support (RDD569) and Earning Local Support Academy (RDD874) Irish government-co-funded projects, including:
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250+ community in-depth interviews
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In-depth conversations with 10+ developers
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5 focus groups (developers, authorities, communities)
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Comprehensive literature review
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1 peer reviewed paper
What executives who know the ELSA approach say:
“The engagement with John taught me three things: 1) the absolute need to train project teams about the importance of genuine community engagement; 2) the absolute importance of shared ownership and involving the community in decision-making processes at a very early stage; and finally 3) to be inclusive, to ensure all voices from the community are heard, including the marginalised ones.”
Brigitte Bichler, Head of OMV Sustainability
“The insights that John brought to someone like me is that it's fine to have the team of engineers, geologists, and everyone else prepare a project, but ultimately you do NEED input from your host community in that project, so that when you do go out there, they are already informed.”
Vassillios Carellas, COO Arc Minerals
Watch the ELSA ‘Bridging the gap’ video series.
This four-part video series explores how collaborative project design
can replace conflict with cooperation, turning a “need for opposition”
into a “supported shared purpose”.
Peer-reviewed research answers some of the FAQ about earning local support for renewable projects.
*no email address needed
Documented answers to:
What causes local conflict or tension around renewable energy projects - and how should the underlying concerns be assessed and addressed?
What is meaningful community engagement and how does it work in practice?
Who is the community for any given renewable energy project?
Why do we need renewable energy projects and what should they achieve?
What synergistic opportunities exist between developers and communities?
How can an intermediary - trusted by both sides - support collaboration and the attainment of win-win outcomes?
The multiple impacts of community resistance
ELSA supports the successful roll out of renewable energy.
One top challenge is that renewable energy needs to be dispersed, and more
and more host communities are opposing these projects. This:
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raises the cost of developments (through delays, legal fees and many
project failures), -
erodes trust in developers, so chances are that new proposals come with “baggage”, making every project even harder to cross the line,
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compromises the ambitious national energy security and climate targets attracting billions in fines,
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results in split communities.
The root of the problem: a weak community support pillar
Here is the reality we found in most developments:
A developer’s resources are focused mainly on managing the technical,
financial and legal (permitting) aspects of a potential project, while the
local support aspect is in most cases an afterthought, addressed once
most aspects of the project have been set.
And when opposition buds, it is often easier to find the fault elsewhere:
“It is the community’s problem, they are NIMBYs.”
“It is a planning process problem, the government should up their game.”
As a developer, there is a choice
This choice will frame the evolution of the local support for a project:
👉 do we hold on to the idea that it is the others’ fault (while the business,
shareholders, targets and communities are faced with mounting risks), or
👉 do we explore ‘the gap’ and what WE can do differently in how we initiate
our projects to trigger a significant positive change and earn local support?
The good news is, once we decide to look inwards, WE CAN FIX IT, and
at much lower costs than the current status quo!
Reinforcing the community pillar: collaborative project development
Host communities and project proponents co-design projects by being
involved in decisions that impact them. Need help to do this?
This is what ELSA is designed for.
Whether you're developing a project, funding it, regulating it, or living
alongside it - ELSA gives you the mindset, tools and support to help
renewable energy succeed in your context.
ELSA is coming soon!
Pre-launched in June 2025 at WSEC 2025 in Nantes, France
Launched in Autumn 2025 in Ireland and worldwide
Contact us at: ELSA[@]astoneco.com
Follow John on: LinkedIn
Developers get:
✅ Less friction
✅ Solid progress
Avoid expensive delays, objections, and escalating conflicts.
Access proven strategies, skills and required support to engage communities early and well.
Build reputation as a trusted, forward-looking developer.
Investors get:
✅ Lower risk
✅ Stronger returns
Reduce exposure to planning delays and social pushback.
Strengthen ESG credentials with evidence of meaningful community participation.
Back projects that are both viable and locally supported.
Authorities get:
✅ Better processes
✅ Targets met
Make engagement real — not just a checkbox.
Align national goals with local needs in ways that build long-term support.
Foster collaboration that leads to better, faster decision-making.
Communities get:
✅ A real voice
✅ A fair outcome
Understand their rights, role, and power to shape local projects.
Gain the confidence and tools to engage constructively with developers and authorities.
Influence decisions that affect their future — from day one.
Who is behind ELSA and why should you trust them?
John Aston has over 25 years experience in natural resource project development, environmental assessment, stakeholder engagement and community development in over 20 countries.
Based on his own (and others’) community challenges as a developer, John created AstonECO in 2007 to support developers, regulators, and communities to deliver projects that align both with investment goals and local priorities through collaborative assessment and design. Within AstonECO is an engaged winning team to help deliver on the mission.
Together with his team, John has helped tens of clients, from junior companies to multi-million international corporations resolve local conflicts and sustainably build their social license through meaningful engagement.
He has also worked for many communities (in partnership with LEADERS), supporting them to create a vision and development plans and, in the process, creating cohesive teams and systems to keep all community members in the engagement loop, so that all who want to contribute, feel empowered to do so.
He is a Chartered Civil Engineer with a Master’s in Environmental Management from Imperial College London.
John is the Co-Operating Agent of the International Energy Agency Wind Task 62 on social science and wind energy - where he also represents Ireland.
He was part of the expert team who created AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standards, one of the leading stakeholder engagement standards in the world.
John is also on UNDP’s international roster of conflict resolution experts, and a published author (Smart Engagement: What, Why, Who and How, Routlegde, 2014).
