IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v179y2023ics0301421523002288.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Property value impacts of onshore wind energy in New England: The importance of spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics

Author

Listed:
  • Dong, Luran
  • Gaur, Vasundhara
  • Lang, Corey

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to update and extend prior studies that examine the impact of onshore wind turbines on property values. Our data come from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, two states that are population dense and rapidly transitioning to renewable energy. We use a difference-in-differences identification strategy with treatment defined by proximity. In contrast to prior research in these states, our results suggest that property values decline when wind turbines are built. These negative impacts are mostly confined to properties within 1 km of a turbine. However, we delve deeper into these aggregate results by examining how treatment effects vary for different regions and how treatment effects vary over time. Importantly, we find that the negative impacts found are almost entirely driven by Cape Cod and Nantucket, Massachusetts. We estimate small and typically insignificant effects for other regions of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Further, we estimate dynamic models that allow for heterogeneous treatment effects in time since construction. These results suggest that negative impacts abate over time, though in the case of Cape Cod and Nantucket never go to zero. Possible explanations for our complex findings include contagion from opposition to Cape Wind, preference-based sorting, and acclimatization.

Suggested Citation

  • Dong, Luran & Gaur, Vasundhara & Lang, Corey, 2023. "Property value impacts of onshore wind energy in New England: The importance of spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:179:y:2023:i:c:s0301421523002288
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113643
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421523002288
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113643?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Corey Lang & Jarron VanCeylon & Amy W. Ando, 2023. "Distribution of capitalized benefits from land conservation," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 120(18), pages 2215262120-, May.
    2. Dröes, Martijn I. & Koster, Hans R.A., 2021. "Wind turbines, solar farms, and house prices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    3. Gibbons, Stephen, 2015. "Gone with the wind: Valuing the visual impacts of wind turbines through house prices," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 177-196.
    4. Jensen, Cathrine Ulla & Panduro, Toke Emil & Lundhede, Thomas Hedemark & Nielsen, Anne Sofie Elberg & Dalsgaard, Mette & Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark, 2018. "The impact of on-shore and off-shore wind turbine farms on property prices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 50-59.
    5. Jeffrey E. Zabel & Katherine A. Kiel, 2000. "Estimating the Demand for Air Quality in Four U.S. Cities," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 76(2), pages 174-194.
    6. Carr-Harris, Andrew & Lang, Corey, 2019. "Sustainability and tourism: the effect of the United States’ first offshore wind farm on the vacation rental market," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 51-67.
    7. Hoen, Ben & Firestone, Jeremy & Rand, Joseph & Elliot, Debi & Hübner, Gundula & Pohl, Johannes & Wiser, Ryan & Lantz, Eric & Haac, T. Ryan & Kaliski, Ken, 2019. "Attitudes of U.S. Wind Turbine Neighbors: Analysis of a Nationwide Survey," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    8. Alex Blanchette & Corey Lang & Jarron VanCeylon, 2021. "Variation in Valuation: Open Space and Geography," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 97(4), pages 768-780.
    9. Dröes, Martijn I. & Koster, Hans R.A., 2016. "Renewable energy and negative externalities: The effect of wind turbines on house prices," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 121-141.
    10. Richard J. Vyn, 2018. "Property Value Impacts of Wind Turbines and the Influence of Attitudes toward Wind Energy," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 94(4), pages 496-516.
    11. Dong, Luran & Lang, Corey, 2022. "Do views of offshore wind energy detract? A hedonic price analysis of the Block Island wind farm in Rhode Island," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    12. Guido W. Imbens & Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, 2009. "Recent Developments in the Econometrics of Program Evaluation," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(1), pages 5-86, March.
    13. Brunner, Eric J. & Schwegman, David J., 2022. "Commercial wind energy installations and local economic development: Evidence from U.S. counties," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    14. Ben Hoen & Carol Atkinson-Palombo, 2016. "Wind Turbines, Amenities and Disamenities: A Study of Home Value Impacts in Densely Populated Massachusetts," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 38(4), pages 473-504.
    15. Charles M. Tiebout, 1956. "A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(5), pages 416-416.
    16. Sunak, Yasin & Madlener, Reinhard, 2016. "The impact of wind farm visibility on property values: A spatial difference-in-differences analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 79-91.
    17. Firestone, Jeremy & Kempton, Willett, 2007. "Public opinion about large offshore wind power: Underlying factors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 1584-1598, March.
    18. Ben Hoen & Jason Brown & Thomas Jackson & Mark Thayer & Ryan Wiser & Peter Cappers, 2015. "Spatial Hedonic Analysis of the Effects of US Wind Energy Facilities on Surrounding Property Values," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 22-51, July.
    19. Sanya Carley & David M. Konisky, 2020. "The justice and equity implications of the clean energy transition," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 5(8), pages 569-577, August.
    20. Gaur, Vasundhara & Lang, Corey, 2023. "House of the rising sun: The effect of utility-scale solar arrays on housing prices," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    21. Vasundhara Gaur & Corey Lang & Gregory Howard & Ruth Quainoo, 2023. "When Energy Issues Are Land Use Issues: Estimating Preferences for Utility-Scale Solar Energy Siting," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 99(3), pages 343-363.
    22. Elmallah, Salma & Hoen, Ben & Fujita, K. Sydny & Robson, Dana & Brunner, Eric, 2023. "Shedding light on large-scale solar impacts: An analysis of property values and proximity to photovoltaics across six U.S. states," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    23. Heintzelman, Martin D. & Vyn, Richard J. & Guth, Sarah, 2017. "Understanding the Amenity Impacts of Wind Development on an International Border," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 195-206.
    24. Martin D. Heintzelman & Carrie M. Tuttle, 2012. "Values in the Wind: A Hedonic Analysis of Wind Power Facilities," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 88(3), pages 571-588.
    25. Lang, Corey & Opaluch, James J. & Sfinarolakis, George, 2014. "The windy city: Property value impacts of wind turbines in an urban setting," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 413-421.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Brunner, Eric J. & Hoen, Ben & Rand, Joe & Schwegman, David, 2024. "Commercial wind turbines and residential home values: New evidence from the universe of land-based wind projects in the United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Brunner, Eric J. & Hoen, Ben & Rand, Joe & Schwegman, David, 2024. "Commercial wind turbines and residential home values: New evidence from the universe of land-based wind projects in the United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    2. Hans Westlund & Mats Wilhelmsson, 2021. "The Socio-Economic Cost of Wind Turbines: A Swedish Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-16, June.
    3. Dong, Luran & Lang, Corey, 2022. "Do views of offshore wind energy detract? A hedonic price analysis of the Block Island wind farm in Rhode Island," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    4. Frondel, Manuel & Kussel, Gerhard & Sommer, Stephan & Vance, Colin, 2019. "Local cost for global benefit: The case of wind turbines," Ruhr Economic Papers 791, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen, revised 2019.
    5. Wehrle, Sebastian & Gruber, Katharina & Schmidt, Johannes, 2021. "The cost of undisturbed landscapes," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    6. Jan von Detten & Johann V. Seebaß & Jan C. Schlüter & Florian Hackelberg, 2023. "Influence of onshore wind turbines on land values [Einfluss von Onshore-Windenergieanlagen auf den Grundstückswert]," Zeitschrift für Immobilienökonomie (German Journal of Real Estate Research), Springer;Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung e. V., vol. 9(1), pages 63-80, April.
    7. Yingdan Mei & Pengfei Liu & Lina Meng & Lu Lin, 2024. "Evaluate the Impacts of Wind Farm Facilities on Land Values with Geographically-Linked Microdata in China," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(2), pages 465-489, February.
    8. Pates, Nicholas J. & Kim, GwanSeon & Mark, Tyler B. & Ritter, Matthias, 2020. "Windfalls or wind falls? The Local Effects of Turbine Development on US Agricultural Land Values," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304611, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    9. Ki, Jaehong & Yun, Sun-Jin & Kim, Woo-Chang & Oh, Subin & Ha, Jihun & Hwangbo, Eunyoung & Lee, Hyoeun & Shin, Sumin & Yoon, Seulki & Youn, Hyewon, 2022. "Local residents’ attitudes about wind farms and associated noise annoyance in South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    10. Shoeib, Eman Ahmed Hamed & Hamin Infield, Elisabeth & Renski, Henry C., 2021. "Measuring the impacts of wind energy projects on U.S. rural counties’ community services and cost of living," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    11. Carr-Harris, Andrew & Lang, Corey, 2019. "Sustainability and tourism: the effect of the United States’ first offshore wind farm on the vacation rental market," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 51-67.
    12. Jensen, Cathrine Ulla & Panduro, Toke Emil & Lundhede, Thomas Hedemark & Nielsen, Anne Sofie Elberg & Dalsgaard, Mette & Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark, 2018. "The impact of on-shore and off-shore wind turbine farms on property prices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 50-59.
    13. Sascha Samadi, 2017. "The Social Costs of Electricity Generation—Categorising Different Types of Costs and Evaluating Their Respective Relevance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-37, March.
    14. Lehmann, Paul & Reutter, Felix & Tafarte, Philip, 2021. "Optimal siting of onshore wind turbines: Local disamenities matter," UFZ Discussion Papers 4/2021, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Division of Social Sciences (ÖKUS).
    15. Dröes, Martijn I. & Koster, Hans R.A., 2021. "Wind turbines, solar farms, and house prices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    16. Zerrahn, Alexander, 2017. "Wind Power and Externalities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 245-260.
    17. Lehmann, Paul & Reutter, Felix & Tafarte, Philip, 2023. "Optimal siting of onshore wind turbines: Local disamenities matter," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    18. Piet Eichholtz & Nils Kok & Mike Langen & Daan Vulpen, 2023. "Clean Electricity, Dirty Electricity: The Effect on Local House Prices," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 66(4), pages 743-777, May.
    19. Skenteris, Konstantinos & Mirasgedis, Sevastianos & Tourkolias, Christos, 2019. "Implementing hedonic pricing models for valuing the visual impact of wind farms in Greece," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 248-258.
    20. Marvin Schütt, 2024. "Wind Turbines and Property Values: A Meta-Regression Analysis," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(1), pages 1-43, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Onshore wind energy; Hedonic model; Valuation; Property values;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:179:y:2023:i:c:s0301421523002288. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.