Influence of Wind Turbines on Farmlands’ Value: Exploring the Behaviour of a Rural Community through the Decision Tree

Giovanni Ottomano Palmisano,Claudio Acciani,Rocco Roma,Annalisa De Boni

doi:10.3390/su13179630

Abstract

The relationship between wind energy and rural areas leads to the controversial debate on the effects declared by rural communities after wind farms or single turbines are operative. The literature on this topic lacks dedicated studies analysing how the behaviour of rural communities towards wind turbines can affect the market value of farmlands. This research aims to examine to the extent to which the easement of wind turbines can influence the market value of farmlands in terms of willingness to pay (WTP) by a small rural community, and to identify the main factors affecting the WTP. Starting from data collected via face-to-face interviews, a decision tree is then applied to investigate the WTP for seven types of farmland in a rural town of Puglia Region (Southern Italy) hosting a wind farm. Results of the interviews show a broad acceptance of the wind farm, while the decision tree classification shows a significant reduction of WTP for all farmlands. The main factors influencing the WTP are the education level, the possibility to increase the income, the concerns for impacts on human health and for maintenance workmen. National and local policy measures have to be put in place to inform rural communities about the ‘magnitude’ of the effects they identified as crucial, so that policy-makers and private bodies will contribute to make the farmland market more equitable.

Highlights

Rural areas cover about 75% of the European Union populated mainland and host nearly a quarter of the total population [1]
A questionnaire to investigate the willingness to pay (WTP) for 7 types of farmland subject to wind turbines was circulated from December 2019 to February 2020 through face-to-face interviews by an expert living in the same area and with deep knowledge about the local rural community and farmland market
The initial sample consisted of 175 observations, but the questionnaires with protest and inconsistent answers and those wrongly filled in by the data collector were excluded from the analysis

Summary

Introduction

Rural areas cover about 75% of the European Union populated mainland and host nearly a quarter of the total population [1]. Besides the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy can increase and stabilize rural incomes, foster the use of new products, technologies, and policy approaches, increasing the innovation capacity in rural areas, and empower local communities, supplying them with cheaper sources of energy [3]. In this context, wind energy is more deployed than other energy sources, because it is considered a relatively mature technology, which is not likely to experience big evolutions that can leave new turbines suddenly obsolete [3]. The widespread nature of wind energy is due to its better cost-effectiveness and feasibility in terms of energy production, technical implementation, land occupation, and waste disposal, with respect to solar energy [2]

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Conclusion