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The economic costs of NIMBYism: evidence from renewable energy projects

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  • Jarvis, Stephen

Abstract

Large infrastructure projects can have important social benefits, but also prompt strong local opposition. This is often attributed to NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) attitudes. I study the economic costs of NIMBYism and local planning restrictions by looking at renewable energy projects. Using hedonic methods I find that wind projects can impose significant external local costs, while solar projects do not. I then show that planning officials are particularly sensitive to local costs in their area. The resulting misallocation of investment may have increased wind power deployment costs by 10-29%. I conclude by examining compensation payments as a policy solution.

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  • Jarvis, Stephen, 2021. "The economic costs of NIMBYism: evidence from renewable energy projects," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 113653, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:113653
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    Cited by:

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    2. Blanchard, Olivier Jean & Gollier, Christian & Tirole, Jean, 2022. "Fighting the war against climate change," TSE Working Papers 22-1360, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    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. 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).
    5. Oto-Peralías, Daniel & Cuberes, David, 2023. "Land Concentration and Mega Photovoltaic Plants," OSF Preprints hakt5, Center for Open Science.
    6. Mirosława Witkowska-Dabrowska & Natalia Świdyńska & Agnieszka Napiórkowska-Baryła, 2021. "Attitudes of Communities in Rural Areas towards the Development of Wind Energy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-24, December.
    7. 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).
    8. Hideki Shimada & Kenji Asano & Yu Nagai & Akito Ozawa, 2022. "Assessing the Impact of Offshore Wind Power Deployment on Fishery: A Synthetic Control Approach," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 83(3), pages 791-829, November.
    9. Yingdan Mei & Jixiang Qiu & Yueming Lucy Qiu & Pengfei Liu, 2024. "Estimation of Property Value Changes from Nearby Carbon Capture and Utilization Projects in China," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(10), pages 2717-2742, October.

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    JEL classification:

    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q31 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Demand and Supply; Prices

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