A wind turbine near one’s home can change one’s perspective on wind energy. For some, it is a sign of progress; for others, it disrupts the landscape. When wind turbines are visible, this can influence voting behavior. This is shown by a new study from the University of Leipzig.
Although the expansion of renewable energy in Germany is generally supported by a large majority, people living near wind turbines experience the energy transition firsthand. Researchers at the University of Leipzig investigated how visible wind turbines affected voting behavior between 1998 and 2021. As soon as wind turbines become visible from a residence for the first time, support for renewable energy can decline. However, this correlation only became apparent in the more recent study periods.
Rural Regions Particularly Affected
Initially, the visibility of wind turbines had no measurable effect. In more recent periods, the share of the vote for parties supporting renewable energy declined as soon as a wind turbine became visible for the first time. This was particularly evident in rural regions and in areas where there was organized resistance to wind energy projects. Financial participation and economic benefits partially mitigated negative reactions.
“Our findings do not mean that people fundamentally reject renewable energy,” says Prof. Melanie Krause, who co-authored the study with Stegmaier. People tended to react more negatively when they perceived changes to the landscape without simultaneously benefiting from the advantages or having a say in the selection of turbine sites.
“The success of the energy transition depends on maintaining public support,” says Stegmaier. Local participation and more widely distributed benefits could reconcile climate goals with people’s concerns about their landscape.
Original publication:
Vincent F. Stegmaier, Melanie Krause: Headwind in sight? Wind turbine visibility spillovers and support for renewable energy policy,
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Volume 139, 2026.
