Sustainability should be considered holistically in all aspects of wind energy development, from first concept to decommissioning. Current global and national guidelines measure different aspects of sustainability separately, for example environmental impacts are measured nationally in an Environmental Impact Assessment whereas social impacts are often only measured at the early stage of a development using global standards on social responsibility. There is need to be able to measure and track progress towards the “sustainable wind energy development” throughout the entire life-cycle of a wind farm in a way that allows direct comparison between developments and can aid planners in sustainability reporting according to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards. To support this, together with the wind industry and through a co-creation dialogue process, we have developed the concept of Sustainability Readiness Levels (SustRLs), which extends the Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) as a method for tracking of the level of maturity with Societal and Environmental Readiness Levels.

The wide use of technology readiness levels means that it is a familiar concept for industry and policy makers. However, it has not yet been adapted to assess environmental sustainability of a technology, product or process. Here we bring together all the aspects of technology, societal and environmental sustainability into three pillars within the Sustainability Readiness Levels. The Sustainability Readiness Levels score how sustainable a wind farm is based on a holistic assessment of technological, societal and environmental aspects throughout the entire development process. Scoring on a consistent scale also allows direct and holistic comparison of the sustainability maturity of different developments. The Sustainability Readiness Levels are not intended to replace existing standards and sustainability measures, but instead provides a framework in which to work through these standards (e.g. ISO Standards 14000 and 26000, TNFD framework, GRI Standards, IFC Performance Standards) and measure progress by providing an overall sustainability readiness score.

This project is highlighted in WENDY Deliverable 2.1 as a best-practice example of community engagement and benefit-sharing in EU wind energy projects.

Capacity-building is also crucial: when local residents are given access to training, knowledge-sharing, or technical resources, they can participate more effectively and feel empowered rather than sidelined.

Finally, trust is strengthened when feedback from communities is visibly integrated into project decisions. Showing how local input has influenced siting, design, or benefit-sharing mechanisms reinforces that engagement is not symbolic but genuinely impactful.

Within the WENDY project, we have developed a Social Acceptance Interventions Framework and this online tool to present behavioural interventions and other recommendations to enhance social acceptance of wind energy projects. Various studies have employed behavioural insights and interventions to increase social acceptance of renewable energy projects. We conducted a comprehensive review and selected the best practices that have been tested and implemented in wind farm projects and communities across the world.

The single multi-variable KPI (SMV-KPI) is a comprehensive assessment tool developed within the WENDY project to evaluate wind farm projects based on three critical dimensions: social, environmental, and techno-economic impacts. This holistic approach ensures that the overall well-being of a wind farm is captured in a single, adaptable metric.

The WENDY toolbox is a powerful spatial decision-support system developed within the WENDY project to optimize the scoping and siting of wind energy projects. It integrates technical, environmental, and social criteria to help planners identify the most suitable locations for wind farm development, balancing energy production potential with ecological preservation, masked for social acceptance and curtailments.