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Lessons learned from Ontario wind energy disputes

Author

Listed:
  • Stewart Fast

    (Institute for Science, Society and Policy, University of Ottawa)

  • Warren Mabee

    (Department of Geography
    Queen's University)

  • Jamie Baxter

    (Social Science Centre, Western University)

  • Tanya Christidis

    (Ontario Research Chair in Renewable Energy Technologies and Health, University of Waterloo
    School of Planning, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo)

  • Liz Driver

    (Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County
    Campbell House Museum)

  • Stephen Hill

    (School of Environment, Trent University)

  • J. J. McMurtry

    (Business and Society Program, York University)

  • Melody Tomkow

    (Renewable Energy Community Relations and Communications Strategist)

Abstract

Issues concerning the social acceptance of wind energy are major challenges for policy-makers, communities and wind developers. They also impact the legitimacy of societal decisions to pursue wind energy. Here we set out to identify and assess the factors that lead to wind energy disputes in Ontario, Canada, a region of the world that has experienced a rapid increase in the development of wind energy. Based on our expertise as a group comprising social scientists, a community representative and a wind industry advocate engaged in the Ontario wind energy situation, we explore and suggest recommendations based on four key factors: socially mediated health concerns, the distribution of financial benefits, lack of meaningful engagement and failure to treat landscape concerns seriously. Ontario's recent change from a feed-in-tariff-based renewable electricity procurement process to a competitive bid process, albeit with more attention to community engagement, will only partially address these concerns.

Suggested Citation

  • Stewart Fast & Warren Mabee & Jamie Baxter & Tanya Christidis & Liz Driver & Stephen Hill & J. J. McMurtry & Melody Tomkow, 2016. "Lessons learned from Ontario wind energy disputes," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 1(2), pages 1-7, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:1:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1038_nenergy.2015.28
    DOI: 10.1038/nenergy.2015.28
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Emmanuel Songsore & Michael Buzzelli, 2016. "Ontario’s Experience of Wind Energy Development as Seen through the Lens of Human Health and Environmental Justice," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-18, July.
    2. McKenna, R. & Mulalic, I. & Soutar, I. & Weinand, J.M. & Price, J. & Petrović, S. & Mainzer, K., 2022. "Exploring trade-offs between landscape impact, land use and resource quality for onshore variable renewable energy: an application to Great Britain," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    3. 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).
    4. 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).
    5. Alemzero, David & Acheampong, Theophilus & Huaping, Sun, 2021. "Prospects of wind energy deployment in Africa: Technical and economic analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 652-666.
    6. Colvin, R.M. & Witt, G.Bradd & Lacey, Justine, 2016. "How wind became a four-letter word: Lessons for community engagement from a wind energy conflict in King Island, Australia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 483-494.
    7. Hübner, Gundula & Leschinger, Valentin & Müller, Florian J.Y. & Pohl, Johannes, 2023. "Broadening the social acceptance of wind energy – An Integrated Acceptance Model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    8. Pedersen, Jaap & Weinand, Jann Michael & Syranidou, Chloi & Rehfeldt, Daniel, 2024. "An efficient solver for large-scale onshore wind farm siting including cable routing," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 317(2), pages 616-630.
    9. Isaksson, Zeth & Gren, Simon, 2024. "Political expectations and electoral responses to wind farm development in Sweden," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    10. Peri, Erez & Tal, Alon, 2020. "A sustainable way forward for wind power: Assessing turbines’ environmental impacts using a holistic GIS analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    11. Emmanuel Songsore & Michael Buzzelli & Jamie Baxter, 2018. "Understanding developer perspectives and experiences of wind energy development in Ontario," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 36(4), pages 649-668, June.
    12. 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).
    13. Mauritzen, Johannes, 2020. "Will the locals benefit?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    14. Stewart Fast, 2017. "Assessing public participation tools during wind energy siting," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 7(3), pages 386-393, September.
    15. Peri, Erez & Tal, Alon, 2021. "Is setback distance the best criteria for siting wind turbines under crowded conditions? An empirical analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    16. McKenna, Russell & Weinand, Jann Michael & Mulalic, Ismir & Petrovic, Stefan & Mainzer, Kai & Preis, Tobias & Moat, Helen Susannah, 2020. "Improving renewable energy resource assessments by quantifying landscape beauty," Working Paper Series in Production and Energy 43, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Industrial Production (IIP).
    17. Susskind, Lawrence & Chun, Jungwoo & Gant, Alexander & Hodgkins, Chelsea & Cohen, Jessica & Lohmar, Sarah, 2022. "Sources of opposition to renewable energy projects in the United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    18. Rosa María Regueiro-Ferreira & Xoán R. Doldán-García, 2020. "The Network of Dominant Owners of Wind Development in Galicia (Spain) (1995–2017): An Approach Using Power Structure Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-21, November.
    19. Knauf, Jakob & le Maitre, Julia, 2023. "A matter of acceptability? Understanding citizen investment schemes in the context of onshore wind farm development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    20. Eduardo Janser de Azevedo Dantas & Luiz Pinguelli Rosa & Neilton Fidelis da Silva & Marcio Giannini Pereira, 2019. "Wind Power on the Brazilian Northeast Coast, from the Whiff of Hope to Turbulent Convergence: The Case of the Galinhos Wind Farms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-24, July.
    21. Zhang, Xiaochun & Ma, Chun & Song, Xia & Zhou, Yuyu & Chen, Weiping, 2016. "The impacts of wind technology advancement on future global energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1033-1037.
    22. Heather Millar & Matthew Lesch & Linda A. White, 2019. "Connecting models of the individual and policy change processes: a research agenda," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 52(1), pages 97-118, March.
    23. Froese, Sarah & Kunz, Nadja C. & Ramana, M.V., 2020. "Too small to be viable? The potential market for small modular reactors in mining and remote communities in Canada," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    24. Walker, Chad & Stephenson, Laura & Baxter, Jamie, 2018. "“His main platform is ‘stop the turbines’ ”: Political discourse, partisanship and local responses to wind energy in Canada," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 670-681.
    25. Christidis, Tanya & Lewis, Geoffrey & Bigelow, Philip, 2017. "Understanding support and opposition to wind turbine development in Ontario, Canada and assessing possible steps for future development," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 93-103.

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