Justice Under the Sun: Evaluating Procedural Justice in Large-Scale Solar Park Development

Journal article, 2025

The development of large-scale solar sites (LSS) is expanding to address climate change and profitability challenges in renewable energy. This article evaluates whether such projects can meet procedural justice standards under optimal conditions, examining a case study in southern Sweden. Despite strong institutional frameworks, well-resourced developers, and robust regulations, our analysis reveals significant gaps between procedural form and substantive justice. Using a mixed-methods approach, we evaluate the development process against seven procedural justice conditions: publicity, relevance, inclusion, fair cooperation, appeal and revision, transparency, and post-decision processes. Key challenges include power imbalances between developers and local stakeholders, tensions between national and local interests, insufficient compensation mechanisms, and limited consideration of ecological impacts and future generations. These findings highlight the difficulty of achieving meaningful procedural justice, even under ideal conditions, and underscore the need for frameworks that address power asymmetries, balance competing interests, and ensure fair, inclusive processes.