Owners of second homes, locals and their attitudes towards future rural wind farm

Abstract

Wind power has been identified as one of the most promising sources of renewable energy. However, its diffusion has not been as rapid as anticipated. The objective here is to analyse attitudes towards wind power among Finnish local residents and owners of second homes. First, we assess their existing knowledge of and level of interest in energy issues and wind power. Second, we analyse potential differences in attitudes between the two stakeholder groups when it comes to wind power in general and the proposed wind farm in particular. The study draws on both quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data. One of the key findings concerns the different perceptions among locals and owners of second homes in a rural area. Both groups were interested in questions of energy production and accepted wind power in general. Nevertheless, the proposed project in Ruokolahti seemed to polarize attitudes. This paper offers new insights into attitudes to wind energy among Finnish locals and owners of second homes in the same area.

Culture Clash? Predictors of Views on Amenity‐Led Development and Community Involvement in Rural Recreation Counties

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On the spatial differentiation of energy transitions: Exploring determinants of uneven wind energy developments in the Czech Republic

“…The significant correlation between the installed capacity of wind energy and the rate of urbanisation in Czech districts supports the hypothesis that wind farms are more likely to be implemented in areas with a lower concentration of second home or holiday home owners escaping from a city for unspoiled landscapes and the 'rural idyll ' (Cowell et al, 2011;Janhunen et al, 2014;van der Horst and Toke, 2010). An interesting finding from our analysis is the small but significant correlation between the higher installed capacity of wind energy and the location of a district in borderland areas.…”

“…Most studies have been concerned with the local acceptance of wind energy projects (e.g. Jobert et al, 2007;Janhunen et al, 2014;Fast and Mabee, 2015;Firestone et al, 2015;Rand and Hoen, 2017). Research to date demonstrates the complex and multi-faceted dimensions of 'acceptance', as factors range from personal characteristics, perceived side-effects, process-related variables, and technical and geographical issues (Langer et al, 2016).…”

Autonomía energética local y desarrollo rural sostenible. Análisis de la pre-disposición a participar en comunidades energéticas renovables

“…Incluímos un conxunto de cinco preguntas, unha primeira para coñecer o interese xeral por temas relacionados coa enerxía (Janhunen, Hujala e Pätäri, 2014), e catro cubrindo a motivación ambiental ou económica de aspectos concretos relacionados con esta: a preocupación polo cambio climático (Bauwens, 2016) e pola preservación e conservación da contorna natural (Fleiß et al, 2017), por unha banda, e o grao de preocupación sobre a evolución actual dos prezos da enerxía ou a escasa transpa-rencia e información en relación a como se determinan os ditos prezos (Bauwens, 2016), pola outra. As preguntas foron avaliadas utilizando unha escala tipo Likert de 1 "moi baixo" a 5 "moi alto".…”