Kurkime modernią Lietuvos ateitį kartu

Registruotis
Grįžti

Invest Lithuania

Challenges of developing green technologies and strengthening community support in Lithuania

4 March 2025 - 5 September 2025

Problem

Lithuania has ambitious energy goals. The aim is for 100% of electricity to come from renewable energy sources (RES) by 2050, and for 55% of electricity to be consumed from RES by 2030. These goals have been set at both the European Union and Lithuanian levels to promote decarbonization, clean energy, and energy independence.

In 2023, the share of RES in total final energy consumption was 32.2% (with wind and solar energy being the main contributors). The country has made significant progress in increasing the share of RES, primarily through the development of wind, solar, and biomass energy. In neutralizing the climate impact, a role is expected to be played by hydrogen. From an economic development perspective, Lithuania could attract investments worth 150 billion euros by developing green energy.

According to a public opinion survey, respondents in regions where wind farms are in operation or under development have a more favourable assessment of wind energy than the Lithuanian average. Lithuanian residents rate electricity production using solar and wind resources the most positively: 88% view solar energy very positively or positively, 77% view wind energy positively when produced in offshore wind farms, and 75% view wind energy positively when produced in onshore wind farms.

Virginia Tech researchers note that despite the broad support for green technology development, local communities tend to be sceptical about the development of such technologies in their neighbourhoods, encountering what are known as “Not In My Backyard” (NIMBY) challenges. This term refers to local communities’ resistance to new infrastructure projects near their area. Among the most common concerns raised by local communities regarding the development of green technologies (such as solar or wind farms, green hydrogen technologies, etc.) are visual pollution and aesthetic discomfort, noise concerns, safety issues, fears of decreased property value, and potential negative effects on local nature and ecosystems. For example, in 2024 local community in Darbėnai stopped the development of 400 million worth green hydrogen investment project.

To foster more favorable attitudes among local communities towards green technologies, various measures are used, including informational and educational tools, community involvement in decision-making processes, and financial incentives. To highlight the role of communities as stakeholders, it is important to assess the current politics and practices of community engagement in Lithuania, explore successful international practices, and propose a model that aligns with Lithuania’s needs.

Goal

The goal of the project is to create a model for strengthening community engagement and support in developing energy-related green technology investment projects in Lithuania.

Project progress

2025/05/01

Interviews with stakeholders

2025/06/02

Overview of the current situation

2025/06/16

Overview of successful foreign practices

2025/08/01

Development of community engagement guidelines

2025/09/01

Ensuring continuity of the project

Participants

Related projects

9 September 2024 - 28 February 2025

Strengthening and developing green skills in Lithuania in response to the needs of the green economy

Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania

Projekto tikslas – parengti rekomendacijas, kaip skatinti žaliųjų įgūdžių ugdymą atliepiant žaliosios ekonomikos poreikius
9 September 2024 - 28 February 2025

Creating welfare index of Allied troops in Lithuania

Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania

The project goal is to create the welfare index of the Allied troops stationed in Lithuania as an instrument helping to evaluate both military and civil needs of the deployed troops.
9 September 2024 - 28 February 2025

Enhancing collaboration between cultural and creative industries and other sectors to foster social innovation

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania

The aim of the project is to promote the development of social innovation through collaboration between CCI and other sectors.
9 September 2024 - 28 February 2025

Closing the loop: enabling the re-use of a building (or its elements) through regulatory measures

Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania

he aim of the project is to introduce circular economy practices in the Lithuanian construction sector by developing recommendations on how to promote the re-use of buildings (or their elements) in Lithuania.  
9 September 2024 - 28 February 2025

Developing international partnerships for sustainable development

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania

The aim of this project is to utilize the Catalogue of Sustainable Development Solutions to cultivate international and domestic partnerships to promote Lithuania’s sustainable solutions for development cooperation.