Social acceptance of wind energy in urban landscapes

Abstract

Although wind energy has high potential as a sustainable energy source to fight climate change, and the post COVID-19 world may require accelerated transition to renewable energy systems, many wind energy projects nevertheless face community resistance. Research on social acceptance of wind energy has increased rapidly, but understanding still lacks regarding the different types of acceptance, whether or not the acceptance correlates with demographics, and what drives acceptance of wind farms in the urban landscape. Our analysis of 2,376 residents in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, focused on the gaps in understanding and identified three groups of people: Protagonists, Centrists, and Antagonists. While Protagonists are highly positive about wind energy projects in the city, Antagonists oppose them, and Centrists adopt a middle-of-the-road approach. Further, three factors matter for social acceptance in urban landscapes: 1) distance, as residents prefer offshore wind farms to be farther away from the city's inhabitants, 2) gender, as women are more accepting of wind energy compared with men, and outright opponents of wind energy are more likely men, and 3) participation, as residents wish to participate in decision-making processes regarding wind farms, but lack interest in having ownership of and responsibility for wind energy projects. The study discusses the implications of these findings for developers and policymakers of wind energy projects in the urban context.