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Public Attitudes to Windfarms: A Survey of Local Residents in Scotland
Chapter SEVEN attitudes to expansion of the local windfarm
7.1 While most people living within 20 kilometres of a windfarm are broadly in favour of expanding the proportion of electricity generated using wind energy, and many also recognise that this is the Scottish Executive's policy, this does not mean that they would support the expansion of their local windfarm. In order to test levels of support, we asked people whether they would support or oppose their local windfarm's expansion by 50% in terms of the number of turbines. This was presented in numeric terms, with the CATI system automatically calculating the number of turbines that would be added with reference to the existing number of turbines at the local site for each respondent. Subsequently, people were asked whether they would support or oppose an expansion by 100% over the current number of turbines.
7.2 The majority would support an increase in the number of turbines by 50% (54% would support this, including 26% strongly in support). On the other hand, one in ten (9%) would oppose expansion. Those living closest (within 5 km of the site) are most likely to support expansion (65%), and are also most likely to strongly support (36%) expansion. The level of opposition does not vary across the zones (see table 9).
Table 9: Level of support for 50% expansion of local windfarm
Q To what extent would you support or oppose increasing the number of turbines at the windfarm by 50% (figure calculated and provided on basis of existing size of site)? |
| Distance respondent lives from windfarm site |
| 0-5 km | 5-10 km | 10-20km | All |
| % | % | % | % |
Strongly support | 36 | 33 | 25 | 26 |
Tend to support | 29 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
Neither support nor oppose | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 |
Tend to oppose | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Strongly oppose | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
No opinion | 4 | 6 | 13 | 12 |
Base = 1,810 |
7.3 There is no correlation between the size of the existing windfarm and attitudes to expansion, with one of the smallest and the largest windfarms both having local populations overwhelmingly in favour of expansion (see table 10). Indeed levels of support are fairly consistent, with Beinn an Tuirc and Tangy standing out as having relatively high levels of support.
Table 10: Level of support for 50% expansion of the local windfarm
Q To what extent would you support or oppose increasing the number of turbines at the windfarm by 50% (figure calculated and provided on basis of existing size of site)? |
| No. of turbines at present | Support | Oppose |
| | % | % |
Beinn an Tuirc | 46 | 82 | 6 |
Windy Standard | 36 | 52 | 8 |
Novar | 34 | 59 | 11 |
Hagshaw Hill | 26 | 49 | 10 |
Dun Law | 26 | 49 | 10 |
Bowbeat Hill | 24 | 56 | 9 |
Harehill | 20 | 57 | 10 |
Tangy | 15 | 80 | 5 |
Beinn Ghlas | 14 | 59 | 8 |
Deucherin Hill | 9 | 59 | 6 |
Base = 1,810 |
7.4 Support for windfarm expansion falls, and opposition rises, if the proposed additional number of turbines were to double (see table 11). Furthermore, while levels of support do not seem to correlate with the number of turbines that would be added in a 100% expansion plan, levels of opposition are generally higher in sites where the number of additional turbines would be largest.
Table 11: Level of support for 100% expansion of the local windfarm
Q To what extent would you support or oppose increasing the number of turbines at the windfarm by 100% (figure calculated and provided on basis of existing size of site)? |
| No. of turbines at present | Support | Oppose |
| | % | % |
Beinn an Tuirc | 46 | 66 | 28 |
Windy Standard | 36 | 41 | 18 |
Novar | 34 | 43 | 26 |
Hagshaw Hill | 26 | 35 | 22 |
Dun Law | 26 | 39 | 23 |
Bowbeat Hill | 24 | 42 | 19 |
Harehill | 20 | 45 | 20 |
Tangy | 15 | 69 | 13 |
Beinn Ghlas | 14 | 47 | 16 |
Deucherin Hill | 9 | 50 | 17 |
Base = 1,810 |
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