Assessing acceptability of two onshore wind power development schemes: A tests of the cumulative effects of wind turbines

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Presently, onshore wind turbine densities are increasing in many countries. The "crowding" of wind turbines in especially the urban fringe and in more densely populated rural areas is expected to meet resistance, however, few studies have to date analysed the cumulative effects of wind power on the social acceptance of wind power. We shed light on this issue and find that the attitude towards increasing the onshore wind power capacity in Denmark is significantly influenced by the number of turbines people see on a daily basis. However, we find that this effect is conditional on having a wind turbine in the viewshed from the permanent or summer residence. Accordingly, if people cannot see an onshore wind turbine from their permanent or summer residence we do not find significant evidence of cumulative effects on attitude. Furthermore, if we hypothesise that an increase in the wind power capacity is implemented by replacing smaller wind turbines with larger ones, we find that the cumulative effects are reduced also among respondents having onshore wind turbines in the viewshed. This suggests that alternative strategies for increasing the onshore wind power capacity will have significant impact on social acceptance and in turn local implementation.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEuropean Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition 2012, EWEC 2012
Number of pages28
Publication date1 Dec 2012
Pages367-394
ISBN (Print)9781627482912
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2012
Externally publishedYes
EventEuropean Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition 2012, EWEC 2012 - Copenhagen, Denmark
Duration: 16 Apr 201219 Apr 2012

Conference

ConferenceEuropean Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition 2012, EWEC 2012
LandDenmark
ByCopenhagen
Periode16/04/201219/04/2012
SeriesEuropean Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition 2012, EWEC 2012
Volume1

    Research areas

  • Attitude, Cumulative effects, More wind turbines, Replacement scheme, Wind power

ID: 227525081