IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/engenv/v35y2024i7p3736-3758.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Heterogeneous public attitudes toward high-voltage power transmission lines and willingness to pay for undergrounding projects

Author

Listed:
  • Dongnyok Shim
  • Hyunhong Choi
  • Seung Wan Kim

Abstract

On the path to carbon neutrality by 2050, the expansion and improvement of high-voltage power transmission lines (HV-PTL) is a critical and unavoidable energy issue that may become a potential source of public conflict. However, the discussion on this issue in South Korea has been insufficient. In this study, we analyzed public attitudes toward HV-PTLs and classified people into subgroups based on their common characteristics using latent class models. In addition, we used the contingent valuation method to estimate the public's willingness to pay (WTP) for the conversion of overhead lines to underground cables, focusing on the differences among the identified subgroups. According to the empirical analysis, people in South Korea can be divided into four classes based on their perceived need for resident participation in the decision-making process, perceived health risk, and perceived property loss risk. According to the WTP analysis using the spike model, the estimated mean and median WTP values were KRW 4184 (USD 3.8) and KRW 2632 (USD 2.4) per household per month, respectively. In addition, we found a significant difference in WTP by class. Those who perceived HV-PTL as risky were less willing to pay for undergrounding projects compared with those whose perceived risk was relatively low. This study contributes to the understanding of academics and policymakers on the relationship between public attitudes toward HV-PTL and overhead to underground conversion.

Suggested Citation

  • Dongnyok Shim & Hyunhong Choi & Seung Wan Kim, 2024. "Heterogeneous public attitudes toward high-voltage power transmission lines and willingness to pay for undergrounding projects," Energy & Environment, , vol. 35(7), pages 3736-3758, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:engenv:v:35:y:2024:i:7:p:3736-3758
    DOI: 10.1177/0958305X231171692
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0958305X231171692
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0958305X231171692?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xie, Bai-Chen & Zhao, Wei, 2018. "Willingness to pay for green electricity in Tianjin, China: Based on the contingent valuation method," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 98-107.
    2. Richard T. Carson & Robert Cameron Mitchell, 1993. "The Issue of Scope in Contingent Valuation Studies," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 75(5), pages 1263-1267.
    3. Huh, Sung-Yoon & Woo, JongRoul & Lim, Sesil & Lee, Yong-Gil & Kim, Chang Seob, 2015. "What do customers want from improved residential electricity services? Evidence from a choice experiment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 410-420.
    4. Byun, Hyunsuk & Lee, Chul-Yong, 2017. "Analyzing Korean consumers’ latent preferences for electricity generation sources with a hierarchical Bayesian logit model in a discrete choice experiment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 294-302.
    5. Murakami, Kayo & Ida, Takanori & Tanaka, Makoto & Friedman, Lee, 2015. "Consumers' willingness to pay for renewable and nuclear energy: A comparative analysis between the US and Japan," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 178-189.
    6. Rehdanz, Katrin & Schröder, Carsten & Narita, Daiju & Okubo, Toshihiro, 2017. "Public preferences for alternative electricity mixes in post-Fukushima Japan," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 262-270.
    7. Seung-Hoon Yoo & Seung-Jun Kwak & Tai-Yoo Kim, 2001. "Modelling willingness to pay responses from dichotomous choice contingent valuation surveys with zero observations," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 523-529.
    8. Lee, Chul-Yong & Heo, Hyejin, 2016. "Estimating willingness to pay for renewable energy in South Korea using the contingent valuation method," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 150-156.
    9. Mueller, Christoph Emanuel, 2020. "Examining the inter-relationships between procedural fairness, trust in actors, risk expectations, perceived benefits, and attitudes towards power grid expansion projects," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    10. Jeffrey K. Lazo & William D. Schulze & Gary H. McClelland & James K. Doyle, 1992. "Can Contingent Valuation Measure Nonuse Values?," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 74(5), pages 1126-1132.
    11. Mueller, Christoph Emanuel & Keil, Silke Inga & Bauer, Christian, 2019. "Underground cables vs. overhead lines: Quasi-experimental evidence for the effects on public risk expectations, attitudes, and protest behavior," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 456-466.
    12. Laura Keir & Richard Watts & Shoshanah Inwood, 2014. "Environmental justice and citizen perceptions of a proposed electric transmission line," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(2), pages 107-120, May.
    13. Thomas Jackson & Jennifer Pitts, 2010. "The Effects of Electric Transmission Lines on Property Values: A Literature Review," Journal of Real Estate Literature, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 239-259, January.
    14. Stanley W. Hamilton & Gregory M. Schwann, 1995. "Do High Voltage Electric Transmission Lines Affect Property Value?," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 71(4), pages 436-444.
    15. Mitchell, Robert Cameron & Carson, Richard T, 1986. "Property Rights, Protest, and the Siting of Hazardous Waste Facilities," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(2), pages 285-290, May.
    16. Yeonjae Ryu & Sunhee Kim & Seoyong Kim, 2018. "Does Trust Matter? Analyzing the Impact of Trust on the Perceived Risk and Acceptance of Nuclear Power Energy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-19, March.
    17. Borchers, Allison M. & Duke, Joshua M. & Parsons, George R., 2007. "Does willingness to pay for green energy differ by source?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 3327-3334, June.
    18. Linzer, Drew A. & Lewis, Jeffrey B., 2011. "poLCA: An R Package for Polytomous Variable Latent Class Analysis," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 42(i10).
    19. Robert J. Johnston & Kevin J. Boyle & Wiktor (Vic) Adamowicz & Jeff Bennett & Roy Brouwer & Trudy Ann Cameron & W. Michael Hanemann & Nick Hanley & Mandy Ryan & Riccardo Scarpa & Roger Tourangeau & Ch, 2017. "Contemporary Guidance for Stated Preference Studies," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 4(2), pages 319-405.
    20. Ernst, Anna & Shamon, Hawal, 2020. "Public participation in the German energy transformation: Examining empirically relevant factors of participation decisions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    21. M. Granger Morgan & Paul Slovic & Indira Nair & Dan Geisler & Donald MacGregor & Baruch Fischhoff & David Lincoln & Keith Florig, 1985. "Powerline Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields: A Pilot Study of Risk Perception," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 5(2), pages 139-149, June.
    22. Lim, Seul-Ye & Kim, Hyo-Jin & Yoo, Seung-Hoon, 2017. "Public's willingness to pay a premium for bioethanol in Korea: A contingent valuation study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 20-27.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Kim, Hyunggeun & Park, Sangkyu & Lee, Jongsu, 2021. "Is renewable energy acceptable with power grid expansion? A quantitative study of South Korea's renewable energy acceptance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    2. Martínez-Cruz, Adán L. & Núñez, Héctor M., 2021. "Tension in Mexico's energy transition: Are urban residential consumers in Aguascalientes willing to pay for renewable energy and green jobs?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    3. Contu, Davide & Strazzera, Elisabetta, 2022. "Testing for saliency-led choice behavior in discrete choice modeling: An application in the context of preferences towards nuclear energy in Italy," Journal of choice modelling, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    4. Contu, Davide & Strazzera, Elisabetta & Mourato, Susana, 2016. "Modeling individual preferences for energy sources: The case of IV generation nuclear energy in Italy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 37-58.
    5. Anna Kowalska-Pyzalska, 2019. "Do Consumers Want to Pay for Green Electricity? A Case Study from Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-20, March.
    6. Choi, Hyunhong & Shim, Dongnyok & Kim, Seung Wan, 2024. "Heterogeneous public preferences for undergrounding high-voltage power transmission lines: The case of Seoul metropolitan area in South Korea," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    7. Byun, Hyunsuk & Lee, Chul-Yong, 2017. "Analyzing Korean consumers’ latent preferences for electricity generation sources with a hierarchical Bayesian logit model in a discrete choice experiment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 294-302.
    8. Sung-Yoon Huh & Chul-Yong Lee, 2017. "A Demand-Side Perspective on Developing a Future Electricity Generation Mix: Identifying Heterogeneity in Social Preferences," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-19, August.
    9. Moon, Sungho & Kim, Youngwoo & Kim, Minsang & Lee, Jongsu, 2023. "Policy designs to increase public and local acceptance for energy transition in South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    10. Jin, Jianjun & Wan, Xinyu & Lin, Yongsheng & Kuang, Foyuan & Ning, Jing, 2019. "Public willingness to pay for the research and development of solar energy in Beijing, China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    11. Irie, Noriko & Kawahara, Naoko, 2022. "Consumer preferences for local renewable electricity production in Japan: A choice experiment," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 1171-1181.
    12. Dong, Changgui & Sigrin, Benjamin, 2019. "Using willingness to pay to forecast the adoption of solar photovoltaics: A “parameterization + calibration” approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 100-110.
    13. Bengart, Paul & Vogt, Bodo, 2021. "Fuel mix disclosure in Germany—The effect of more transparent information on consumer preferences for renewable energy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    14. Xie, Bai-Chen & Zhao, Wei, 2018. "Willingness to pay for green electricity in Tianjin, China: Based on the contingent valuation method," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 98-107.
    15. Bae, Jeong Hwan & Rishi, Meenakshi & Li, Dmitriy, 2021. "Consumer preferences for a green certificate program in South Korea," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    16. Paravantis, John A. & Stigka, Eleni & Mihalakakou, Giouli & Michalena, Evanthie & Hills, Jeremy M. & Dourmas, Vasilis, 2018. "Social acceptance of renewable energy projects: A contingent valuation investigation in Western Greece," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 639-651.
    17. Kim, Junghun & Park, Stephen Youngjun & Lee, Jongsu, 2018. "Do people really want renewable energy? Who wants renewable energy?: Discrete choice model of reference-dependent preference in South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 761-770.
    18. Walter, Kara A. & Thacher, Jennifer & Chermak, Janie M., 2023. "Examining willingness to pay for energy futures in a fossil and renewable energy-rich locale," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    19. Broberg, Thomas & Daniel, Aemiro Melkamu & Persson, Lars, 2021. "Household preferences for load restrictions: Is there an effect of pro-environmental framing?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    20. Lee, Kyung-Sook & Kim, Ju-Hee & Yoo, Seung-Hoon, 2021. "Would people pay a price premium for electricity from domestic wind power facilities? The case of South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).

    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:sae:engenv:v:35:y:2024:i:7:p:3736-3758. 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: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.