Social acceptance of wind power: a case study of Shandong Province, China

Wind power, as a renewable energy source, plays an important role for achieving goal of the transition to post-fossil carbon societies. Despite significant environmental benefits associated with wind power, its social acceptance should not be overlooked. A case study approach was used for the research to investigate social acceptance of wind power in Shandong Province, China. A questionnaire survey was distributed to local residents, which was supplemented with a critical review of current policies. The results revealed that there are consistent concerns on environmental quality issues from local residents regardless of their age or educational level; they were generally supportive of developing wind power resources. However, their level of support dropped significantly for actions to be taken such as installing small-scale wind turbines in their own backyards or in accepting higher electricity prices. Similarly, local residents were generally aware of benefits and drawbacks of wind power. The data also revealed that local residents may accept renewable energy due to their concerns about environmental issues. The level of social acceptance by local residents for wind power was contingent upon their age, income, educational level, and location of residency. These findings provide useful inputs to both the industry and government in terms of improving social acceptance of wind power in future developments.