Understanding Attitudes towards Renewable Energy Technologies and the Effect of Local Experiences

Astrid Buchmayr, Luc Van Ootegem, Jo Dewulf and Elsy Verhofstadt
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Astrid Buchmayr: Department of Economics, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Jo Dewulf: Research Group Sustainable Systems Engineering, Department Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-23

Abstract: For the planning of the energy transition, decision-makers need to be aware of the public attitudes towards renewable energy technologies (RETs) and the impacts of such energy facilities from a population’s perspective. To facilitate the comparison of RET attitudes, a uniform survey design was used for four case studies (onshore wind, offshore wind, waste-to-energy, and biomass power) situated in the region of Flanders, Belgium. The survey analysis showed differences between the energy facilities with regard to the perceived impact on population health (combustion facilities were perceived more negatively) and landscape impact (wind energy facilities were perceived more negatively). All groups recognized the contribution of the RET facility to the economic development of the region. The effect of such local experiences on the overall evaluation of energy technologies was investigated using ordinal regression models. Personal experiences were found to be more meaningful predictors than socio-economic population characteristics or the proximity to the energy facility. In all investigated energy neighborhoods, the personal relationship of the participants to the landscape was a significant predictor of technology attitude. This points to the importance of investigating place attachment rather than pure visibility to understand the acceptability of land use for energy provision.

Keywords: renewable energy technology; public attitude; technology acceptance; experienced impacts; social sustainability; energy transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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