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Living in the Vicinity of Wind Turbines - A Grounded Theory Study
Halmstad University, School of Business, Engineering and Science, Biological and Environmental Systems (BLESS).
Halmstad University, School of Health and Welfare, Centre of Research on Welfare, Health and Sport (CVHI).
Arbets- och miljömedicin, Göteborgs universitet, Göteborg, Sweden.
2007 (English)In: Qualitative Research in Psychology, ISSN 1478-0887, E-ISSN 1478-0895, Vol. 4, no 1-2, p. 49-63Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Little is known of wind turbines' impact on people living in their vicinity. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how people perceive and are affected by wind turbines in their living environment. In-depth interviews with 15 informants, strategically chosen to form a heterogeneous group, were analyzed using the constant comparative method of grounded theory. The informants were to different extents affected by the swishing noise, flickering light, and constant movement of the turbines' rotor blades. Some informants perceived the exposures as outside their territory while others perceived them as intrusion into privacy; a divergence partly determined by the informants' personal values about the living environment. The feeling of intrusion was associated with feeling a lack of control, subjected to injustice, a lack of influence, and not being believed. Informants used various coping strategies, such as rebuilding their houses or complaining, but mainly tried to ignore exposures from the wind turbines. The findings can help us to better understand the severe reactions wind turbines sometimes evoke and contribute to the knowledge base used when planning for new wind farms.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Philadelphia, PA: Routledge, 2007. Vol. 4, no 1-2, p. 49-63
Keywords [en]
Audio-visual interaction, Coping, Environmental stressors, Grounded theory, Home, Human response, Multimodal perception, Noise annoyance, Shadows, Territoriality, Sound, Wind power
National Category
Psychology Biological Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-1494DOI: 10.1080/14780880701473409Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-55949126090Local ID: 2082/1874OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hh-1494DiVA, id: diva2:238712
Available from: 2008-06-05 Created: 2008-06-05 Last updated: 2022-09-13Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Human response to wind turbine noise: perception, annoyance and moderating factors
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Human response to wind turbine noise: perception, annoyance and moderating factors
2007 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Aims: The aims of this thesis were to describe and gain an understanding of how people who live in the vicinity of wind turbines are affected by wind turbine noise, and how individual, situational and visual factors, as well as sound properties, moderate the response.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a flat, mainly rural area in Sweden, with the objective to estimate the prevalence of noise annoyance and to examine the dose-response relationship between A-weighted sound pressure levels (SPLs) and perception of and annoyance with wind turbine noise. Subjective responses were obtained through a questionnaire (n = 513; response rate: 68%) and outdoor, A-weighted SPLs were calculated for each respondent. To gain a deeper understanding of the observed noise annoyance, 15 people living in an area were interviewed using open-ended questions. The interviews were analysed using the comparative method of Grounded Theory (GT). An additional cross-sectional study, mainly exploring the influence of individual and situational factors, was carried out in seven areas in Sweden that differed with regard to terrain (flat or complex) and degree of urbanization (n = 765; response rate: 58%). To further explore the impact of visual factors, data from the two cross-sectional studies were tested with structural equation modelling. A proposed model of the influence of visual attitude on noise annoyance, also comprising the influence of noise level and general attitude, was tested among respondents who could see wind turbines versus respondents who could not see wind turbines from their dwelling, and respondents living in flat versus complex terrain.

Results: Dose-response relationships were found both for perception of noise and for noise annoyance in relation to A-weighted SPLs. The risk of annoyance was enhanced among respondents who could see at least one turbine from their dwelling and among those living in a rural in comparison with a suburban area. Noise from wind turbines was appraised as an intrusion of privacy among people who expected quiet and peace in their living environment. Negative experiences that led to feelings of inferiority added to the distress. Sound characteristics describing the amplitude modulated aerodynamic sound were appraised as the most annoying (swishing, whistling and pulsating/throbbing). Wind turbines were judged as environmentally friendly, efficient and necessary, but also as ugly and unnatural. Being negative towards the visual impact of the wind turbines on the landscape scenery, rather than towards wind turbines as such, was strongly associated with annoyance. Self-reported health impairment was not correlated to SPL, while decreased well-being was associated with noise annoyance. Indications of possible hindrance to psycho-physiological restoration were observed.

Conclusions: Wind turbine noise is easily perceived and is annoying even at low A-weighted SPLs. This could be due to perceived incongruence between the characteristics of wind turbine noise and the background sound. Wind turbines are furthermore prominent objects whose rotational movement attracts the eye. Multimodal sensory effects or negative aesthetic response could enhance the risk of noise annoyance. Adverse reactions could possibly lead to stress-related symptoms due to prolonged physiological arousal and hindrance to psychophysiological restoration. The observed differences in prevalence of noise annoyance between living environments make it necessary to assess separate dose-response relationships for different types of landscapes.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Göteborg: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg University, 2007. p. 86
Keywords
Noise, Environmental exposure, Wind, Audio-visual interaction, Low-level noise exposure
National Category
Earth and Related Environmental Sciences Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-1545 (URN)2082/1925 (Local ID)978-91-628-7149-9 (ISBN)2082/1925 (Archive number)2082/1925 (OAI)
Public defence
2007-06-12, sal 2118, Hus 2, Sahlgrenska akademin, Arvid Wallgrens Backe, Göteborg, 13:00 (English)
Opponent
Available from: 2008-06-17 Created: 2008-06-17 Last updated: 2025-01-31Bibliographically approved

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Pedersen, EjaHallberg, Lillemor R.-M.

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