The importance of visual impact on public acceptance of renewable and non-conventional energy sources
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: Sch of Geography
Abstract
ADVENT (Addressing Valuation of Energy and Nature Together) is a 5 year research project funded by NERC as part of the RCUK Energy Programme. It involves a consortium of seven partner institutions and aims to develop conceptual frameworks and modelling tools to integrate the analysis of prospective UK energy pathways with considerations relating to the value of natural capital. This will include quantifying the implications of differing future UK low-carbon energy pathways for stocks of natural capital (e.g. groundwater and natural habitats) and for the provision of ecosystem services (e.g. irrigation, visual amenity, recreation). In addition, the project will compare the outcomes of different methodologies to value changes in ecosystem services and provide guidelines regarding the application of such approaches. Ultimately, the project seeks to provide both public and private sector decision makers with tools that allow them to take a whole-systems perspective on energy futures in a way that integrates energy and environmental considerations.
Developing future research capacity at the interface of energy and environmental research is an important objective of ADVENT. To this end eight PhD studentships of 3-4 years duration are being funded from NERC and consortium partner resources. The holders of these studentships will benefit from being part of a large research team and associated project activities, including a series of workshops to provide advanced research training. ADVENT is also affiliated to the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and the NERC Valuing Nature Programme so there will be opportunities to participate in events run by these initiatives.
Developing future research capacity at the interface of energy and environmental research is an important objective of ADVENT. To this end eight PhD studentships of 3-4 years duration are being funded from NERC and consortium partner resources. The holders of these studentships will benefit from being part of a large research team and associated project activities, including a series of workshops to provide advanced research training. ADVENT is also affiliated to the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and the NERC Valuing Nature Programme so there will be opportunities to participate in events run by these initiatives.
Planned Impact
In addition to the academic community, we envisage three groups of key beneficiaries from the research: (i) government departments and public policy makers; (ii) private sector companies in the energy, water and agriculture sectors; and (iii) the public and society more generally. Our communication, engagement and dissemination plans are described in the Pathways to Impact document. Here we outline the expected impacts of these combined activities.
National Decision-Makers:
A fundamental objective of this project is to quantify and value the natural capital and ecosystem services impacts of different energy pathways. Moreover, based on that knowledge, the project will develop decision-support tools that provide a whole-system assessment of different energy futures. Accordingly, the project's outputs will have direct importance to numerous decision-making agencies including the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). Each of those agencies has immediate needs for tools that will allow them to assess and compare different possible energy pathways across both the energy and environment spheres. The project will also provide inputs for agencies involved in national policy making regarding natural capital, particularly the on-going development of natural capital accounts being pursued by the National Capital Committee (NCC), Office of National Statistics (ONS) and HM Treasury (HMT). The research team have long track-records of collaboration with each of these organisations ensuring the project's findings will have a pathway for direct dissemination to the relevant decision-making bodies.
Regional Decision-Makers:
In addition, the project will undertake a number of case studies whose regional focus will provide valuable input to local decision-makers. For instance, research on public attitudes to potential marine energy developments in the Bristol Channel-Severn Estuary (WP5.6) will be of interest to Local Enterprise Partnerships given the economic importance of tourism in the region. Similarly, the work on implications of changes in energy consumption in north-eastern Scotland will be of relevance to unitary authorities within the region with respect to strategic planning and decisions regarding future infrastructure investments.
Private Sector:
Outputs of the project will also be of direct relevance to a number of businesses and organisations in the private sector. The strategic planning of energy companies will be particularly enhanced by better understanding of potential environmental impacts from their operations and how natural capital considerations might constrain these in the future. Similarly, the water supply industry has an obvious interest in the implications of future energy pathways for water resources and how these could influence future investments in abstraction, treatment and distribution infrastructure. The agricultural sector also stand to benefit from project's outputs. In particular, the project will provide insights into possible future demands for bioenergy and spatial variations in the availability of water for irrigation purposes. In addition, the project will provide information directly relevant to businesses in the energy, water and food sectors with interests in developing corporate natural capital accounts.
Public and Wider Society:
The final group to be impacted by the project will be society more generally. The project's outputs will help ensure that the public's valuation of important natural assets such as green spaces used for recreation and landscapes enjoyed for their visual amenity are meaningfully represented in decisions concerning future energy pathways. These insights will also be relevant to the work of many environmental NGOs such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and county wildlife trusts.
National Decision-Makers:
A fundamental objective of this project is to quantify and value the natural capital and ecosystem services impacts of different energy pathways. Moreover, based on that knowledge, the project will develop decision-support tools that provide a whole-system assessment of different energy futures. Accordingly, the project's outputs will have direct importance to numerous decision-making agencies including the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). Each of those agencies has immediate needs for tools that will allow them to assess and compare different possible energy pathways across both the energy and environment spheres. The project will also provide inputs for agencies involved in national policy making regarding natural capital, particularly the on-going development of natural capital accounts being pursued by the National Capital Committee (NCC), Office of National Statistics (ONS) and HM Treasury (HMT). The research team have long track-records of collaboration with each of these organisations ensuring the project's findings will have a pathway for direct dissemination to the relevant decision-making bodies.
Regional Decision-Makers:
In addition, the project will undertake a number of case studies whose regional focus will provide valuable input to local decision-makers. For instance, research on public attitudes to potential marine energy developments in the Bristol Channel-Severn Estuary (WP5.6) will be of interest to Local Enterprise Partnerships given the economic importance of tourism in the region. Similarly, the work on implications of changes in energy consumption in north-eastern Scotland will be of relevance to unitary authorities within the region with respect to strategic planning and decisions regarding future infrastructure investments.
Private Sector:
Outputs of the project will also be of direct relevance to a number of businesses and organisations in the private sector. The strategic planning of energy companies will be particularly enhanced by better understanding of potential environmental impacts from their operations and how natural capital considerations might constrain these in the future. Similarly, the water supply industry has an obvious interest in the implications of future energy pathways for water resources and how these could influence future investments in abstraction, treatment and distribution infrastructure. The agricultural sector also stand to benefit from project's outputs. In particular, the project will provide insights into possible future demands for bioenergy and spatial variations in the availability of water for irrigation purposes. In addition, the project will provide information directly relevant to businesses in the energy, water and food sectors with interests in developing corporate natural capital accounts.
Public and Wider Society:
The final group to be impacted by the project will be society more generally. The project's outputs will help ensure that the public's valuation of important natural assets such as green spaces used for recreation and landscapes enjoyed for their visual amenity are meaningfully represented in decisions concerning future energy pathways. These insights will also be relevant to the work of many environmental NGOs such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and county wildlife trusts.
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE/M019705/1 | 30/06/2015 | 31/01/2021 | |||
| 1794287 | Studentship | NE/M019705/1 | 01/10/2016 | 31/01/2021 | Philippa Roddis |
| Description | This research has identified a typology of determinants which shape public acceptance of renewable energy, making an important contribution to academic theory. Empirically, it has identified determinants shaping public acceptance of energy sources in Great Britain at local and national levels, particularly focusing on onshore wind and solar farms. This contributes important evidence on how the British public have responded to renewable energy deployment to date and are likely to respond to future deployment as part of the UK's response to climate change. This research has discovered that public acceptance of renewable energy is shaped by three main types of determinants: those relating to renewable energy infrastructure, those relating to the impacts of that infrastructure, and those relating to the individual. This is described as the 'three I model' of public acceptance. Additionally, the three 'I' model establishes categories of determinants within these overarching groups, such as environmental, aesthetic and economic. This research also identifies trends in public attitudes towards energy sources in Great Britain. It finds that support for renewable energy is increasing over time, whilst support for nuclear and fracking are decreasing over time. There is some (though limited) variation between geographical regions. Demographics and concern for climate change are the most important determinants. At the local level, people may respond to renewable energy infrastructure in different ways to they do in national opinion polls. Issues relating to impacts become more important, such as on valued local places. However, this research argues that these two measures of public acceptance are interconnected and have a mutually reinforcing effect. This emphasises the need to deploy renewable energy sensitively at local levels to avoid negative effects on national public opinion. |
| Exploitation Route | The results of this research could be used by planners, policymakers or companies to design renewable energy projects and policies which are sensitive to public acceptance concerns and therefore most likely to succeed. In particular, the 'three I model' could be useful for this purpose. |
| Sectors | Energy,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/new-study-shows-public-wants-renewables-but-the-government-is-not-listening-119950 |
| Description | This research has contributed to political debate on public acceptance of onshore wind, in particular the aforementioned article on the Conversation website. Following an effective ban on onshore wind by the UK government in 2015, government subsidies have been reinstated for onshore wind in 2020 primarily as a result of public pressure and campaigning. This research added to the evidence base showing that public acceptance of onshore wind is high and increasing over time. Although direct causality cannot be proven, this research has thus contributed to the public narrative and media discourse which preceded this policy change. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Energy,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |