Tourist Viewshed Externalities and Wind Energy Production

Abstract

This study uses an experiment where ferry passengers are sold hotel room views to evaluate the impact of wind turbines views on tourists' vacation experience. Participants purchase a chance for a weekend hotel stay. Information about the hotel rooms was limited to the quality of the hotel and its distance from a large wind turbine, as well as whether or not a particular room would have a view of the turbine. While there was generally a negative effect of turbine views, this did not hold across all participants, and did not seem to be effected by distance or hotel quality.