Understanding Attitudes towards Renewable Energy Technologies and the Effect of Local Experiences

Abstract

For the planning of the energy transition, decision-makers need to be aware of the public attitudes towards renewable energy technologies (RETs) and the impacts of such energy facilities from a population’s perspective. To facilitate the comparison of RET attitudes, a uniform survey design was used for four case studies (onshore wind, offshore wind, waste-to-energy, and biomass power) situated in the region of Flanders, Belgium. The survey analysis showed differences between the energy facilities with regard to the perceived impact on population health (combustion facilities were perceived more negatively) and landscape impact (wind energy facilities were perceived more negatively). All groups recognized the contribution of the RET facility to the economic development of the region. The effect of such local experiences on the overall evaluation of energy technologies was investigated using ordinal regression models. Personal experiences were found to be more meaningful predictors than socio-economic population characteristics or the proximity to the energy facility. In all investigated energy neighborhoods, the personal relationship of the participants to the landscape was a significant predictor of technology attitude. This points to the importance of investigating place attachment rather than pure visibility to understand the acceptability of land use for energy provision.

Assessing public perception and willingness to pay for renewable energy in Pakistan through the theory of planned behavior

“…The perceived advantages of renewable energy (AD), perceived challenges of renewable energy (CH), and willingness to pay (WTP) were measured by seven, six, and two items, respectively, as proposed by Ntanos et al (2018) and Buchmayr et al (2021), whereas the subjective norm (SN), moral obligation (MO), and perceived behavior control (PBC) were measured by two items each proposed by Bhutto et al (2021). The items reflecting awareness (AW) were adapted from the study by Djurisic et al (2020); similarly, the items reflecting attitude (AT) were adapted from the studies of Ntanos et al (2018); Kaya et al (2019).…”

Do all forms of public attitudes matter for behavioural intentions to adopt solar energy technologies (SET) amongst households?

“…As a result, the attitudes exhibited in many societies are various and inconsistent with the overall goal of increasing the acceptance and usage of these technologies. Hence, examining the nature and influence of attitudes in the acceptance and usage of these technologies becomes important (Buchmayr et al, 2021). This would provide us with a better understanding of the influence of different attitudes towards the acceptance and usage of these technologies.…”

“…This is because people perceive, interpret, and react to technological innovations differently. Hence, the differences in people's attitudes towards the environment and environmental protection may differ from the general attitudes towards solar energy or specific attitudes towards SETs applications (Buchmayr et al, 2021;Slijep cevi c and Villa, 2021). This makes it a challenge to identify the exact set of attitudes enabling or hindering energy technology adoption.…”

“…This emphasises the fact that the way people appreciate the underlying principles of using solar energy contributes to their willingness to use these technologies (Lucas et al, 2021;Z_ywiołek et al, 2022). As such Buchmayr et al (2021), explained that the general positivity attached to the contribution of renewable energy technologies to economic development was a key factor that encouraged the adoption of these technologies in Belgium. Pro-technology attitudes are also developed by people who strongly consider the general need to reduce energy consumption and those who anticipate the usefulness of the technology.…”

“…Their study goes on to emphasise the relevance of more specific attitudes towards the different applications of energy technologies to be more important. Buchmayr et al (2021) explained that although the majority of people in Belgium have strong intentions and willingness to adopt renewable energy, differences in attitudes prevail regarding specific energy applications, such as waste-to-energy conversion processes for biomass plants that are questioned for health and disturbance. Other wind and solar technology applications are also evaluated in terms of fuel handling and storage.…”