Wind energy, hydropower, and energy transitions: essays on offshore wind community support and hydropower relicensing
Date
2021
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Social scientists must contend with the complex characteristics of peoples’ relationships with energy infrastructures. This includes understanding community and individual evaluation of changes including the introduction of wind energy generation and the reevaluation of hydropower projects. In three chapters, spanning two different cases, this dissertation explores public perceptions of the ongoing energy transition to carbon-less technologies. ☐ The first essay lays out an analyses of community perceptions using surveys of local communities regarding the Block Island Offshore Wind Project. Data collection focused on island and coastal resident attitudes toward the project and cognitions of the coastal setting. Results are reported from the first and final surveys. Multivariate statistical analysis is used to evaluate relationships among variables. Results indicate that attitudes about the project have solidified as more people have seen it. A majority support the project, and a small percent consider the project inconsistent with specific meanings associated with the ocean environment. These meanings stand out amongst other place constructs. Furthermore, the relationship among turbine descriptions and place meanings and their consistency with the project as a use of the ocean, along with general support for the project is explored. The results continue to validate a place-based understanding of the responses of people to a changing energy landscape. This essay is published as: Russell, A., Firestone, J., Bidwell, D., Gardner, M. 2020. Place meaning and consistency with offshore wind: An island and coastal tale. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 132, 110044, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110044 (open access). ☐ In the second essay, a different approach is taken to local perceptions of the Block Island Offshore Wind Project by evaluating both cognitive (rational) and affective (emotional) responses with the goal of learning about how each influences project support as well as how a nearby island population differs from that of the coastal residents farther away. Multivariate regression is used and relies on a dual-process model of evaluation. Both the island and coastal populations break down similarly in terms of the strength of cognitive and affective influencers, with an affective model explaining more variance than a cognitive one. A combined model performed the strongest and emotions still tend to dominate. Methods must address perception holistically rather than by piece to best engage and learn from communities that will hold a stake in the energy transition. ☐ The third essay applies the Advocacy Coalition Framework to the Conowingo Dam US federal hydropower relicensing. Analysis focuses on data from documents and semi-structured interviews of involved or interested parties. Water quality issues and implications for the Chesapeake Bay have been a sticking point during the relicensing negotiations leading to protracted processes. The analysis pays particular attention to actor values and policy change over time. Additionally, broader perceptions of the relicensing process are laid out. Coding and thematic analysis of these sources led to the paper’s conclusions. Results show that actor disagreement about water quality issues has been a source of significant delay in the relicensing process. Disagreements predominantly stemmed not from disagreements about the seriousness of the issues, but rather from a mismatch of the attribution of responsibility amongst actor coalitions.
Description
Keywords
Wind energy, Hydropower, Energy transitions, Offshore wind production, Community support, Relicensing