In this first issue of Volta we look at a field that exemplifies this struggle between society and new technology: our energy supply. We can’t do without energy. We all know that a secure supply for the future is critical. But at the same time Europeans have become experts in delaying or even stopping the introduction of energy initiatives like shale gas drilling and carbon storage injection projects - even wind farms.
Is technology the problem or the solution? Can we learn from the Scottish Islanders who love their turbines, or the Italian organisation aiming to banish the Nimby Syndrome in exchange for community benefits? How essential is transparent information and communication for authorities as well as citizens? These issues at the heart of the energy agenda are the focus of this first edition.
Volta is an initiative of fifteen Technology Assessment Institutes that work together in the European Pacita-project, and will be published twice a year.
Science, Technology and Society in Europe
