The impact of wind farms on the prices of nearby houses in Poland: A review and synthesis

Abstract

Since 2009/10 Poland has experienced a dynamic growth of wind energy production. Currently, wind energy is the most popular resource of renewable energy in Poland. Despite the importance of wind energy for the Polish economy, there is no reliable and comprehensive research on the causal effects of wind farm facilities on property prices. The aim of this article is to critically review existing research related to the impact of wind farms on prices of nearby residential properties. The article concentrates on Polish as well as international scientific literature. Besides presenting the main findings obtained from the review of literature, the article clusters these findings based on information that is crucial to the analysis: methodology, data, and subject of study. The literature review is followed by a description of the characteristics of wind energy in Poland, which includes differences in the location of wind farms between Poland and other countries. The article concludes that despite the fact that some international research points to a significant causal effect of wind farms on property prices, these results cannot be easily transposed to Polish circumstances. Based on the reviewed literature, the article moreover shows directions for improving future analyses in Poland, particularly with respect to the methodology.