Attitudes of U.S. Wind Turbine Neighbors: Analysis of a Nationwide Survey
Abstract
Experts predict continuing deployment of wind turbines in the United States, which will create more interactions between turbines and surrounding communities. Policymakers can benefit from analyses of existing wind projects that enable them to better understand likely effects on residents around proposed projects. Our analysis of a randomly drawn, representative national survey of 1705 existing U.S. wind project neighbors provides previously unavailable detail about factors influencing the attitudes of these neighbors toward their local wind projects. Overall, we find positive-leaning attitudes, which improve over time as individuals self-select into communities near existing wind projects. Hearing wind turbines leads to less-positive attitudes, although living very near to turbines does not, nor does seeing wind turbines. In fact, our findings suggest complex relationships among nearby residents' attitudes, their perceptions about the particular fit of turbines within their landscape and community, and their perceptions of wind project impacts on property values. These findings - along with the positive correlation between perceived planning-process fairness and attitude - suggest areas of focus for wind project development that may influence social outcomes and acceptance of wind energy. The concluding discussion provides a number of policy and future research recommendations based on the research.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Wind Energy Technologies Office
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1561349
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1564079; OSTI ID: 1571389
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5000-74815
Journal ID: ISSN 0301-4215; S0301421519305683; 110981; PII: S0301421519305683
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231; AC36-08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Energy Policy
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Energy Policy Journal Volume: 134 Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0301-4215
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 17 WIND ENERGY; Wind power; Social acceptance; Cross-sectional survey; Tiebout sorting; Attitudes; 29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY; wind power; social acceptance; cross-sectional survey; attitudes
Citation Formats
Hoen, Ben, Firestone, Jeremy, Rand, Joseph, Elliot, Debi, Hübner, Gundula, Pohl, Johannes, Wiser, Ryan, Lantz, Eric, Haac, T. Ryan, and Kaliski, Ken. Attitudes of U.S. Wind Turbine Neighbors: Analysis of a Nationwide Survey. United Kingdom: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2019.110981.
Hoen, Ben, Firestone, Jeremy, Rand, Joseph, Elliot, Debi, Hübner, Gundula, Pohl, Johannes, Wiser, Ryan, Lantz, Eric, Haac, T. Ryan, & Kaliski, Ken. Attitudes of U.S. Wind Turbine Neighbors: Analysis of a Nationwide Survey. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.110981
Hoen, Ben, Firestone, Jeremy, Rand, Joseph, Elliot, Debi, Hübner, Gundula, Pohl, Johannes, Wiser, Ryan, Lantz, Eric, Haac, T. Ryan, and Kaliski, Ken. Fri .
"Attitudes of U.S. Wind Turbine Neighbors: Analysis of a Nationwide Survey". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.110981.
@article{osti_1561349,
title = {Attitudes of U.S. Wind Turbine Neighbors: Analysis of a Nationwide Survey},
author = {Hoen, Ben and Firestone, Jeremy and Rand, Joseph and Elliot, Debi and Hübner, Gundula and Pohl, Johannes and Wiser, Ryan and Lantz, Eric and Haac, T. Ryan and Kaliski, Ken},
abstractNote = {Experts predict continuing deployment of wind turbines in the United States, which will create more interactions between turbines and surrounding communities. Policymakers can benefit from analyses of existing wind projects that enable them to better understand likely effects on residents around proposed projects. Our analysis of a randomly drawn, representative national survey of 1705 existing U.S. wind project neighbors provides previously unavailable detail about factors influencing the attitudes of these neighbors toward their local wind projects. Overall, we find positive-leaning attitudes, which improve over time as individuals self-select into communities near existing wind projects. Hearing wind turbines leads to less-positive attitudes, although living very near to turbines does not, nor does seeing wind turbines. In fact, our findings suggest complex relationships among nearby residents' attitudes, their perceptions about the particular fit of turbines within their landscape and community, and their perceptions of wind project impacts on property values. These findings - along with the positive correlation between perceived planning-process fairness and attitude - suggest areas of focus for wind project development that may influence social outcomes and acceptance of wind energy. The concluding discussion provides a number of policy and future research recommendations based on the research.},
doi = {10.1016/j.enpol.2019.110981},
journal = {Energy Policy},
number = C,
volume = 134,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {2019},
month = {11}
}
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