Elise conducted research into people's experience with wind turbines and came up with some unexpected results
Noise pollution, a ruined landscape and the moving shadow of turbine blades: those are the frequently heard complaints about wind turbines. But are local residents really bothered about these factors? This is what Urban Planning student Elise Olde Monnikhof researched in the context of her graduation project commissioned by the research group Sustainable Living Environment.
Hi Elise, what exactly were you researching?
“To start at the beginning... we are in the middle of the energy transition and it is a hot topic. Everyone is affected by it. But how are people affected in everyday life? Are people living next to a wind turbine really bothered by it? Is there any truth in all the negative publicity? In talk shows, you only see people who are bothered by it. People who have no complaints, are never seen on television. I decided to check out for myself how people in Deventer felt about the wind turbines: are people bothered about the turbines, or are they mainly positive about it? ”
How did you research this topic?
“I first examined the process that took place prior to the installation of the wind turbines. The turbine project caused quite a stir and there was a quite a bit of negative publicity. I then examined in detail how this process went. For one thing, the communication around the project was problematic: the municipality made wrong assumptions and the village of Epse was not involved at any stage. The decision to place wind turbines came as a complete surprise to them. I then analysed and listed the actual effects wind turbines have on the environment, in terms of noise and safety issues for instance, and visited local residents and companies in Deventer and Epse to check whether they had experienced these effects and, if so, how they had experienced them. For example, you expect complaints about noise nuisance and the moving shadow of wind turbines."
And what were the results of your research?
"The results were not quite what I had expected. If you take noise nuisance for instance - which you would expect to cause most problems - people said they were not bothered by it at all. Some even found it to be a pleasant sound. That was pretty funny: The complete opposite of what you would expect. People found the moving shadow to be more of a nuisance, and especially companies said they were bothered by it. You see people installing sunscreens, or deciding to work from home. So they do make preparations but reluctantly. Furthermore, the newspaper headlines said that it was not safe and that people did not feel safe - somewhere, sometime, a turbine blade had come off - but my research showed that people do not feel unsafe at all. What was also striking, is that people were not aware of the possibility of participating financially: people have the option of purchasing green energy and thus benefit from the wind turbines. People were not informed properly about this option."
It is very difficult to find officials who want to go knocking on people's doors. This process can easily take three years, and there is simply no time.
What advice did you provide on the basis of your research?
“I made some recommendations, especially regarding communication, because this was a real issue. The municipality admitted as much and made up for it later on. But things should have been in order from the start: it is crucial to getting people's support. People do not like to be left in the dark. There will always be discontentment, but you can avoid this through good communication, by emphasizing the positive elements. And the fact that people can participate is of course something positive: they can save energy and help protect the environment. More should have been done in this respect. My research also showed that the moving shadow of turbines presents a real problem. More information should have been provided about this effect. Although ‘Pure Energie’ took quite a few measures to do something about the moving shadow. They really put an effort into this which is commendable, but they could have communicated more about the negative effects in advance.”
What was the biggest challenge in your research project?
"I would say it was the technical part: how many megawatts does a wind turbine actually produce and what about the laws and regulations? But also knocking on people's doors: you don't know what they are going to say. I have always been interested in sustainability myself, and I think that clean energy is needed, so I think it's great that the wind turbines are there, but you don't know if other people think the same way or how they will react. This was a real challenge for me: representing people's opinions in the right way."
According to the Sustainable Living Environment research group, this type of research is rarely done.
“It is crucial to involve the local residents, but it is very difficult to find officials who want to go knocking on people's doors. This process can easily take three years, and there is simply no time. Something needs to be done about this, but there are often not enough (financial) means. This is a difficult issue, but communication is becoming easier in this digital world.”
So the municipalities must be thankful to you?
"I hope so. Of course, it is a fairly basic study: I didn't interview hundreds of people, but I conducted twelve in-depth interviews with local residents, tourists and companies. In addition, I also spoke with forty to fifty people directly involved in the project. These were not in-depth interviews, but they did provide a broader picture. This is something to be kept in mind: the research was not based on just a number of random opinions."