Local support for renewable energy technologies? Attitudes towards local near-shore wind farms among second home owners and permanent area residents on the Danish coast

Abstract

This paper documents different attitudes towards local renewable energy technology (RET) projects in Denmark among two key RET stakeholder groups, permanent area residents (PRs) and second home owners (SHOs). It does so via survey data collected from almost 2000 respondents during a Danish near-shore wind farm tender. Judging by this data, local PRs are positive towards the planned local RETs, while SHOs are less so. This emphasizes that potential RET project stakeholders and stakeholder groups may have very different RET project perceptions and opinions. The planned RET projects were subject to widespread critique in the public and political RET project related debate, but the documented PR RET project support was rather silent support. This is a noteworthy inconsistency calling for further research. Drawing upon research insights from the interdisciplinary socially focused energy transitions body of literature, the paper suggests that particular uses of and attachments to particular places may inform stakeholder perceptions of RET related local change. The research findings have significant implications for RET planning, practice and policy more broadly.