Winds of change: examining attitude shifts regarding an offshore wind project

Abstract

Understanding how local attitudes toward commercial-scale renewable energy change over time should provide insight into how to engage communities and influence public acceptance during the energy transition. To augment the scarcity of longitudinal research on social acceptance of renewable energy, we use a mixed methods approach to explore how opinions regarding the Block Island Offshore Wind Project changed over time. We analyze two-year panel data from a survey of Block Island and coastal RI residents with a regression model and interviews to observe how opinions were influenced by attitude strength attributes, esthetics, general attitude towards wind power, process fairness, and demographics. Using the multi-layered results, we produce recommendations for stakeholders to better foster community relations from planning to operation. Abbreviations: Block Island Offshore Wind Project (BIOWP): Block Island; (BI): Rhode Island; (RI): Relative risk ratio; (RRR): Power purchase agreement (PPA)