MartinLutherUniversity HalleWittenberg Public Acceptance of Electricity from Biomass
Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg Public Acceptance of Electricity from Biomass Impact of Direct Experience on Attitudes Gundula Hübner & Anneloes Meijnders IAPS 2004 /faculteit technologie management
Designing energy technology Ø Precondition for success of new energy technology: public acceptance Ø Common practice: attention to public reactions at the time of implementation Ø Improving the acceptance: integrate public reactions in technology design process Ø Aim of our project: analyze public reactions to biomass energy systems, generate implications for designing installations and processes Ø Special focus: direct experience with biomass plants and electricity
The study design Two survey studies were conducted throughout the Netherlands: Ø among electricity consumers (N = 330), 10 rural and urban districts Green energy: direct experience Grey energy: no direct experience Ø among residents living nearby biomass plants (N = 374), 6 locations View: direct experience No view: no direct experience
Hypotheses Ø Direct experience influences attitudes and intentions Neighbours viewing the plant: less positive towards using it themselves Green electricity consumers: more positive towards using it themselves Ø Direct experience influences attitude strength Neighbours viewing the plant and green electricity consumers: stronger attitudes, e. g. are more certain Ø BUT neighbours viewing the plant are also more ambivalent: they experience a social dilemma
Attitude and intention towards buying biomass electricity
Attitude strength
Ambivalence
Preference for specific materials % 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 62 23 14 crops 70 55 23 11 10 farmed wood organic waste neighbours 19 animal 25 manure consumers 49 28 used wood
Frequently (>= 10) mentioned reasons for preference Neighbours Consumers Grown crops Environment Economy Grown wood Environment Organic waste Available Solving waste problem Environment Recycling It is waste Utilizing the useless Two problems solved at once Animal powder & cadavers Solving waste problem Utilizing the useless Manure Solving manure problem Manure surplus Available It is waste Used wood Solving waste problem Utilizing the useless Recycling Environment Available It is waste Solving waste problem Utilizing the useless Recycling Available It is waste
Summary and Conclusion Ø Direct experience with green electricity: positive influence on attitudes and intentions towards buying biomass electricity Ø Direct experience with biomass installations: negative influence on attitudes and intentions towards buying biomass electricity Ø Direct experience: stronger and thus more resistant attitudes Ø Contrast to the assumptions of energy suppliers: the ‘clean’ materials wood and energy crops are not the most preferred biomass types Ø Organic waste is preferred most frequently by both consumers and neighbours -> implications for design and implementation
- Slides: 10