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 & climate targets
👉 Secure, sustainable futures for local communities
Stop losing time, trust and money via legal battles or one-way outreach.
Get a free copy of 'Designing Projects that Succeed'
Led by AstonECO Management
Peer reviewed by the University of Galway
R&D behind ELSA co-financed by SEAI
ELSA builds on 35 years of project experience and research
👉 35 years of developing natural resource projects – from engineering design and impact assessment to top management roles and support, of which
👉 20 years have focused on resolving costly local conflicts in natural resource projects, including
👉 5 years of government-co-funded research with Earning Local Support (RDD569) and Earning Local Support Academy (RDD874) projects, featuring:
- 250+ community in-depth interviews (people with homes or livelihoods < 1 km from renewable energy infrastructure)
- Studying the approach of 10+ developers (onshore & offshore wind)
- 5 focus groups (developers, authorities, communities)
- Comprehensive literature review and participation in IEA Wind's Social Science Task
- 12 on-the-ground case studies of aspects required for Renewables AT PACE
- 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 series explores how collaborative project design bridges divides and builds cooperation
- replacing the triggers and need for opposition with a path to 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:
1. What causes local tension/conflict around renewable energy projects - and how should the underlying concerns be assessed and addressed?
2. What is meaningful community engagement and how does it work in practice?
3. Who is the community for any given renewable energy project?
4. Why do we need renewable energy projects and what should they achieve?
5. What synergistic opportunities exist between developers and communities?
6. How can an intermediary - trusted by both sides - support collaboration and the attainment of win-win outcomes?
The multiple impacts of community resistance
One top challenge facing the industry is that renewable energy needs to be dispersed within what is most often shared space – meaning more host communities are directly affected, and more are opposing these projects.
This resistance:
-
Raises costs through delays, legal fees, and failed
projects, -
Erodes trust in developers, creating “baggage” that makes each new project proposal harder to deliver,
-
Compromises national energy security and climate targets exposing the state to loss – and billions in penalties,
-
Divides communities, damaging local cohesion and long-term sustainability,
ELSA exists to change this – by helping developers, authorities, and communities build projects that succeed for everyone involved.
The system's weak link: local support treated as an add-on
Here is the reality our analysis uncovers in most developments:
Developers invest heavily in the technical, financial and legal (permitting) pillars of a potential project - while the local support pillar is in most cases treated as an add-on, addressed only after most key decisions have already been made.
And when opposition emerges, the tendency is to find the fault elsewhere:
“It's the community’s fault, they're NIMBYs.”
“It's the planning system's fault - the government should fix it.”
But the fundamental issue isn't the people or the planning process.
It's that local community support was never treated as a core project pillar from the start.
As a developer, there is a choice
This choice will frame the evolution of your projects. You have two paths:
👉 Hold onto the idea that resistance is someone else's fault – and expose yourself to mounting risk, delays, and costs
👉 Explore ‘the gap’: what you can do early on to earn support.
The good news is, once the decision is made – to look inwards – you 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 affect them. Need help to do this?
That's what ELSA is designed for.
No matter whether you're a developer, funder, regulator or neighbour – ELSA gives you the collaborative leadership skills, tools and support to make
renewable energy succeed in your context.
ELSA's innovative framework:
Renewables AT PACE
Using the Renewables AT PACE framework, ELSA guides all sides to:
Anchor the proposed project within local sustainable development,
Transition from defensive engagement to partnership,
Partner early,
Acknowledge concerns,
Collaborate transparently,
Empower the developer-host team to co-design, assess and deliver lasting value.
The result?
Projects that are faster to approve, fairer in outcome, and founded in long-term local support.
Developers get:
✅ Less friction
✅ Solid progress
Avoid expensive delays, objections, and escalating conflicts.
Access proven strategies, skills and support to engage communities early and well.
Build reputation as a trusted, forward-thinking developer.
Investors get:
✅ Lower risk
✅ Stronger returns
Mitigate exposure to planning and social risks.
Strengthen ESG credentials by showing meaningful community participation.
Fund projects that combine viability and social license.
Authorities get:
✅ Better processes
✅ Targets met
Make engagement real – not just a "checkbox".
Align national goals with local needs in ways that build durable support.
Foster collaboration that leads to better, faster decision-making.
Communities get:
✅ A real voice
✅ A fair outcome
Understand your rights, role, and power to shape local developments.
Gain the confidence and tools to engage constructively with developers and authorities.
Influence decisions that affect your future – from day one.
ELSA's Roll-out
Pre-launched in June 2025 at the Wind Energy Science Conference (WESC)
in Nantes, France - the first international showcase of the 'Renewables AT PACE' Framework - See Interview
Full launch: From Autumn 2025 - progressively rolling out ELSA's coaching platform
to developers, communities and authorities.
Join the organisations shaping how ELSA is applied.
Contact us to explore how ELSA can best support your organisation's success:
ELSA [AT] astoneco [DOT] com
or meet John on: LinkedIn
Who is behind ELSA - and why should you trust them?
John Aston has over 30 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 help align developer, regulator, and community objectives through collaborative assessment and design.
He and his team have guided tens of clients, from companies to multi-billion-euro international projects to resolve local conflicts and sustainably build their social license.
He has also supported communities (in partnership with LEADERS), to create shared development visions and 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.
John's credentials:
- Chartered Civil Engineer with a Master’s in Environmental Management from Imperial College London.
- Co-Operating Agent of the International Energy Agency Wind Task 62 on social science and wind energy - where he also represents Ireland.
- Part of the expert team who created AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standards, one of the leading stakeholder engagement standards in the world.
- Member of UNDP’s international roster of conflict resolution experts for natural resource projects.
- Published author: "Smart Engagement: What, Why, Who and How" - Routledge, 2014.
