Can´t resist to resist: Mapping the arguments of the members of local parliaments against solar parks in Bavaria

The large-scale implementation of local renewable energy projects is seen central to the success of clean energy transition in Germany and elsewhere. Such projects are, however, often locally contested and their faith is contingent upon the approval of local policy-makers. While the national decision-making on energy and climate issues is relatively well-researched, far less is known about the factors that shape the decisions of local policy-makers to reject renewable energy projects. In this paper we systematically map the main arguments of the members of local parliaments in the German federal state of Bavaria against the construction of solar park projects. We do so based on a qualitative analysis and coding of newspaper articles which report on the rejected solar parks in Bavaria in all regional newspapers during the period 2008-2022. Drawing on a sample of over 200 cases of rejected solar park projects across Bavaria, we are able to map the main arguments used against solar parks by the members of local parliaments and how the relative importance of different arguments has evolved over time. Furthermore, employing a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods we investigate the role that party affiliation plays in advancing certain arguments against solar parks relative to more context-specific factors. Our study yields important new insights into dominant narratives against solar park projects at the local level and the role that party politics and other factors play in shaping the positions of local policy-makers.