Wind Turbines Unlikely to Chase Tourists Away, Research Shows
Two wind power turbines proposed for the waters off Monhegan Island would not scare away the tourists who flock to the island, according to a summer-long study by researchers at UMaine’s Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions.
Over 90 percent of the 180 tourists surveyed said they would continue to visit Monhegan whether the turbines are installed or not. When asked about wind turbine placement in general, 80 percent of participants preferred that turbines be away from special scenic places, however, 70 percent said they expected the proposed Monhegan turbines to have no impact on their overall visitor experience. Only one percent said the placement of the turbines would cause them to stop visiting Monhegan.
The survey was aimed at learning how people react to scientific information in decision making. To accomplish this, survey participants saw one of two survey versions. One version used static pictures of the proposed turbines while the other showed a virtual reality rendering of the turbine and surrounding environs. These visuals were developed by Maine’s Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction (VEMI) Laboratory. Analysis of participant reactions is ongoing: “We are excited to see if more advanced virtual reality scenarios resulted in people thinking differently about the proposal,” said Caroline Noblet, Assistant Professor in the School of Economics.
The project was funded by the Mitchell Center’s Emerging Opportunities – Foundations for Future Research grant program. Focused on broadening the scope of sustainability science research, these projects offer scientists a chance to engage new stakeholders in new places in new ways. See more on this story