Planning globally, protesting locally: Patterns in community perceptions towards the installation of wind farms

The evidence is compelling that extended use and production of energy are globally responsible for the serious deterioration of physical environment and climate change. The further penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) emerges as a crucial factor contributing to the mitigation of global warming. Within this framework wind energy is expected to have a leading role for Greece's compliance with the EU environmental targets of 2020. However, the installation of wind parks in specific regions with high wind potential is seriously constrained by the reaction of local communities. Using a survey the present research dissects public acceptance for existing and proposed wind farms in the region of Southern Evia, Greece. Results indicate an overall support for wind energy and confirm the growing inconvenience with NIMBYism, especially in areas with existing wind parks in operation, as a theoretical framework explaining resistance to planned wind energy investments. By contrasting self-reported ex ante- and ex post-perceptions of impacts and benefits we highlight the role of experience in community acceptance of wind energy installations. Our statistical models prescribe the profile of those most probably in favour of existing installations, new installations in other parts of Evia or new installations elsewhere in Greece. Finally, we introduce the ‘Not-In-My-Front-Yard’ (NIMFY) syndrome suggesting that the impact of visibility on public acceptance is far from being a simple concept as it is linked to both a physical landscape context and socio-economic parameters.