  Social acceptance is a multifaceted consideration when planning future energy
systems, yet often challenging to address endogeneously. One key aspect regards
the spatial distribution of investments. Here, I evaluate the cost impact and
changes in optimal system composition when development of infrastructure is
more evenly shared among countries and regions in a fully renewable European
power system. I deliberately deviate from the resource-induced cost optimum
towards more equitable and self-sufficient solutions in terms of power
generation. The analysis employs the open optimisation model PyPSA-Eur. I show
that cost optimal solutions lead to very inhomogenous distributions of assets,
but more uniform expansion plans can be achieved on a national level at little
additional expense below 4%. Yet completely autarkic solutions, without power
transmission, appear much more costly.
