Effect of Wind Farm Noise on Local Residents’ Decision to Adopt Mitigation Measures

Anabela Botelho, Pedro Arezes, Carlos Bernardo, Hernâni Dias and Lígia M. Costa Pinto
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Anabela Botelho: Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering, and Tourism, University of Aveiro, and GOVCOPP, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Pedro Arezes: ALGORITMI Research Center, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Carlos Bernardo: Institute of Polymers and Composites/I3N, University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Hernâni Dias: PIEP-Innovation in Polymer Engineering, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Lígia M. Costa Pinto: NIMA-Department of Economics, University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: Wind turbines’ noise is frequently pointed out as the reason for local communities’ objection to the installation of wind farms. The literature suggests that local residents feel annoyed by such noise and that, in many instances, this is significant enough to make them adopt noise-abatement interventions on their homes. Aiming at characterizing the relationship between wind turbine noise, annoyance, and mitigating actions, we propose a novel conceptual framework. The proposed framework posits that actual sound pressure levels of wind turbines determine individual homes’ noise-abatement decisions; in addition, the framework analyzes the role that self-reported annoyance, and perception of noise levels, plays on the relationship between actual noise pressure levels and those decisions. The application of this framework to a particular case study shows that noise perception and annoyance constitutes a link between the two. Importantly, however, noise also directly affects people’s decision to adopt mitigating measures, independently of the reported annoyance.

Keywords: wind farms; noise annoyance; mitigation measures; sound pressure levels; environmental impacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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