Wind turbines are an effective source of energy for climate change mitigation. The placement of windmills is often challenged by residents in the local area. In a previous study, it was found that...Show moreWind turbines are an effective source of energy for climate change mitigation. The placement of windmills is often challenged by residents in the local area. In a previous study, it was found that given to local residents about the implementation of windmills in the local area could be an important factor in local wind turbine project acceptance, and that this relationship was mediated by perceived procedural fairness and trust in the wind turbine company. The focus of this experimental scenario study (N=679) is to replicate and build on this previous study. In the current study, participants were asked to empathize with the residents of a fictional town, where a wind farm would be located. Depending on the experimental group, voice expectations were manipulated by randomly assigning to three manipulation groups where they were told that it was common, uncommon that they would be given voice by the company and another group where no voice expectations were manipulated. Participants then either received an opportunity to voice their opinion or received no voice opportunity. In this study it was predicted and found that receiving voice compared to no voice would increase wind turbine project acceptance. It was also predicted and found that this relationship was sequentially mediated by perceived procedural fairness via perceived trust. And lastly, it was predicted that voice expectation served as a mediator between voice opportunity and acceptance. Both of these findings replicated previous research. No significant interaction effect of voice opportunity and voice expectations was found.Show less
The aim of this experimental scenario study is to examine the effects of giving voice to citizens in the decision-making process of a wind farm implementation on perceived procedural fairness,...Show moreThe aim of this experimental scenario study is to examine the effects of giving voice to citizens in the decision-making process of a wind farm implementation on perceived procedural fairness, trust in the project developer and project acceptance (versus no-voice versus pseudo voice). The effects of voice procedure were examined by means of an experimental study among UK citizens (N = 168). We offer our participants an experimental scenario where a project developer plans to build a wind farm near their house. Depending on the experimental condition, participants were told that they could voice their opinion and that this was considered in the decision-making process (voice), that they could voice their opinion but that this was not considered (pseudo-voice) or that they could not voice their opinion (no-voice). We hypothesised and found that giving voice to citizens increases perceived procedural fairness, which in turn increases trust in the project developer and project acceptance (versus no-voice and pseudo-voice). In addition, this research predicted higher perceived procedural fairness, trust in the project developer and project acceptance in people who were given pseudo-voice compared to no-voice. However, the results did not support this. Other factors found to be positively relating to citizens’ project acceptance were perceived community benefits and general attitudes towards wind farms. This research concludes that giving voice to citizens increases perceived procedural fairness, trust in the project developer and project acceptance, provided that this voice is actually considered by the project developer.Show less
Wind energy companies intend to successfully implement wind farms without opposition from the local residents. The present study experimentally investigated the effect of local residents' “voice”...Show moreWind energy companies intend to successfully implement wind farms without opposition from the local residents. The present study experimentally investigated the effect of local residents' “voice” on perceived procedural fairness of the decision-making procedure and willingness to accept the wind energy project's implementation. An online survey was published on Prolific, in which participants (N = 199) were asked to sympathize with a fictitious town where they were residents and a wind farm project was planned. The experimental conditions were; no-voice, voice and pseudo-voice. The amount of “say” the residents had in the decision-making process of the project and whether their input was taken into account, differed between conditions. I hypothesized and found that participants who had an opportunity to voice their opinion and had their ideas implemented, perceive the decision-making process as more fair than those who were in a no-voice or pseudo-voice situation. Contrary to my prediction, participants in the pseudo-voice situation perceived the process as more fair (instead of less fair) than those in the no-voice situation. As predicted, the voice situation led to a greater willingness to accept the project than the pseudo-voice and slightly higher than the no-voice situation. I further predicted that the no-voice situation would lead to higher acceptance than the pseudo-voice situation, but found no difference in acceptance between the two conditions. Finally, the results provided evidence for the idea that effects of voice procedure on project acceptance are mediated by perceived procedural fairness of the decision-making process when comparing voice to pseudo-voice and no-voice situations.Show less
The wind energy market in Japan lags behind other energy sources in size, development and implementation of the technology. This paper analyses the causes behind the stagnant nature of wind energy...Show moreThe wind energy market in Japan lags behind other energy sources in size, development and implementation of the technology. This paper analyses the causes behind the stagnant nature of wind energy in Japan, using a PESTLE analysis to determine important influencing factors. These are then used to make recommendations concerning government policy aimed at the wind energy market in Japan.Show less
