Sardinia’s government passed a law prohibiting the construction of wind turbines within 7 kilometers of archeological remains like this nuraghe at Punta Unossi—one of the more than 7,000 Bronze Age, dry-stone structures on the island. The law was later overturned by the Italian national government. “Why are you here?” Fabrizio Pilo, an electrical engineer, asks me as we sit in an outdoor café near his home in Cagliari, an ancient city on the island of Sardinia. It’s a fair question. I’m a journalist from the United States. I’d just stepped off my flight 2 hours prior and come straight to this meeting, suitcase still stowed in my rental car. I’m here to see three intriguing new energy projects under development in Sardinia. I’d heard there’s strong public resistance to renewable energy, and I want to understand why that is. I tell Pilo, who is vice rector for innovation at the University of Cagliari, that I hope he’ll share some insights before I head out on a reporting trip across the island.…