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The role of NIMBY in opposing the siting of wind farms: evidence from Greece

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  • Iosif Botetzagias
  • Chrisovaladis Malesios
  • Anthi Kolokotroni
  • Yiannis Moysiadis

Abstract

This paper aims to assess the relative importance of a NIMBY ('Not-In-My-Back-Yard') stance on an individual's opposition to the siting of a wind farm vis-�-vis other predictors, such as perceived effects (costs, risks and benefits associated with the project), perceived fairness of the siting decision and societal trust. Data originate from two case studies, a small wind farm of just two wind turbines in southern Greece and a mega-project of 153 turbines on the Greek island of Lesvos (aggregate N = 334). We use structural equation modelling (SEM) for testing the theoretically-suggested relations between the various constructs. We find that NIMBY is not the most important predictor of opposition while it is strongly correlated with other predictors, such as the perceived unfairness of the siting decision as well as the risks and costs associated with the wind farm. These latter findings undermine the common-sense idea that wishing a wind farm out of one's vicinity ('Not-In-My-Back-Yard') is an example of mere 'free-riding'. Since the fit of the SEM models was found to be moderate, we discuss the limitations of our study and the implications of our findings as well as suggesting pathways for future research.

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  • Iosif Botetzagias & Chrisovaladis Malesios & Anthi Kolokotroni & Yiannis Moysiadis, 2015. "The role of NIMBY in opposing the siting of wind farms: evidence from Greece," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(2), pages 229-251, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jenpmg:v:58:y:2015:i:2:p:229-251
    DOI: 10.1080/09640568.2013.851596
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    2. JongRoul Woo & HyungBin Moon & Jongsu Lee & Jinyong Jang, 2017. "Public attitudes toward the construction of new power plants in South Korea," Energy & Environment, , vol. 28(4), pages 499-517, June.
    3. Alphan, H., 2021. "Modelling potential visibility of wind turbines: A geospatial approach for planning and impact mitigation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    4. Simona Bigerna & Paolo Polinori, 2015. "Assessing the Determinants of Renewable Electricity Acceptance Integrating Meta-Analysis Regression and a Local Comprehensive Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(9), pages 1-24, August.
    5. Georgios K. Vasios & Andreas Y. Troumbis & Yiannis Zevgolis & Maria N. Hatziantoniou & Marios F. Balis, 2019. "Environmental choices in the era of ecological modernization: siting of common interest facilities as a multi-alternative decision field problem in insular setups," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 49-64, March.
    6. Huang‐Ting Yan & Yu‐Chin Hsu & Yu‐Hung Chang, 2022. "A multilevel analysis of the determinants of the attitude toward separate cycle paths in Taiwan," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(7), pages 1732-1749, December.
    7. Vassiliki Vlami & Jan Danek & Stamatis Zogaris & Eirini Gallou & Ioannis P. Kokkoris & George Kehayias & Panayotis Dimopoulos, 2020. "Residents’ Views on Landscape and Ecosystem Services during a Wind Farm Proposal in an Island Protected Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.
    8. Styliani Karamountzou & Dimitra G. Vagiona, 2023. "Suitability and Sustainability Assessment of Existing Onshore Wind Farms in Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-21, January.
    9. Cohen, Adi & Fischhendler, Itay & Katz, David, 2023. "Institutional acceptance of wildlife mitigation technologies for wind energy: The case of Israel," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).

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