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LANDSCAPE CAPACITY AND SOCIAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS WIND ENERGY PROJECTS IN BELGIUM “LACSAWEP” A. VAN ROMPAEY, S. SCHMITZ, C. KESTELOOT, K. PEETERS, B. MOENS, H. VAN HEMELRIJCK, V. VANDERHEYDEN, M. LOOPMANS, S. VANDEN BROUCKE SCIENCE FOR A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (SSD) Energy FINAL REPORT LANDSCAPE CAPACITY AND SOCIAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS WIND ENERGY PROJECTS IN BELGIUM “LACSAWEP” SD/EN/01 Promoters Prof. A. Van Rompaey Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KULeuven) Physical and Regional Geography Research Group Prof S. Schmitz Université de Liège (ULg) Social and Economic Geography Research Group Prof. C. Kesteloot Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KULeuven) Social and Economic Geography Research Group Scientific collaborators Karolien Peeters, Bruno Moens, Hendrik Van Hemelrijck K.U.leuven Physical and Regional Geography Research Group Vincent Vanderheyden Ulg Social and Economic Geography Research Group Maarten Loopmans, Steven Vanden Broucke K.U.Leuven Social and Economic Geography Research Group D/2011/1191/25 Published in 2011 by the Belgian Science Policy Avenue Louise 231 Louizalaan 231 B-1050 Brussels Belgium Tel: +32 (0)2 238 34 11 – Fax: +32 (0)2 230 59 12 http://www.belspo.be Contact person: Igor Struyf +32 (0)2 238 35 07 Project Website geo.kuleuven.be/geography/projects/lacsawep Neither the Belgian Science Policy nor any person acting on behalf of the Belgian Science Policy is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information. The authors are responsible for the content. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without indicating the reference : A. VAN ROMPAEY, S. SCHMITZ, C. KESTELOOT, K. PEETERS, B. MOENS, H. VAN HEMELRIJCK, V. VANDERHEYDEN, M. LOOPMANS, S.VANDEN BROUCKE - Landscape capacity and social attitudes towards wind energy projects in Belgium “LACSAWEP”. Final Report. Brussels : Belgian Science Policy 2011 – 111 p. (Research Programme Science for a Sustainable Development) Project SD/EN/01 - Landscape capacity and social attitudes towards wind energy projects in Belgium “LACSAWEP” Table of contents O. Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 5 1. Objectives, methodological framework and state-of the-art ........................................................... 11 1.1. Objectives ........................................................................................................................................... 11 1.2. Wind energy in Belgium ..................................................................................................................... 12 1.3. Methodological framework ................................................................................................................ 13 1.4. Development of social attitudes towards local wind projects ............................................................ 15 1.5. Landscape capacity towards wind energy .......................................................................................... 19 1.6. State of the art of wind energy development in Belgium and Europe ................................................ 21 1.6.1. Level and procedures of planning systems and decision making ................................................ 21 1.6.2. Attitudes towards the protection of landscape and nature ........................................................... 27 1.6.3 Financial support systems ............................................................................................................ 28 1.6.4 Patterns of ownership and involvement ....................................................................................... 30 2. Modeling the impact of wind turbines on the perceived visual quality of landscapes................... 33 2.0. Abstract .............................................................................................................................................. 33 2.1. Modeling the impact of wind turbines on the visual appreciation of landscapes: A case study in Belgium ..................................................................................................................... 33 2.1.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 33 2.1.2. Materials and Methods ................................................................................................................ 35 2.1.3. Results and discussion ................................................................................................................. 40 2.1.4 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 43 2.2. Simulation of landscape photography through the use GIS-based viewshed reconstruction ............. 44 2.2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 44 2.2.2. Materials and methods ................................................................................................................. 44 2.2.3. Results and discussion ................................................................................................................. 48 2.2.4. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 49 2.3. Application in a case study ................................................................................................................. 49 2.4. Extrapolation of the model to a regional scale level .......................................................................... 52 2.5. Recommendations for policy makers and developers ........................................................................ 54 3. Analysis of social attitudes towards wind energy parks in Belgium ............................................... 57 3.1. Theoretical base: Discourse analysis .................................................................................................. 57 3.2. Methodology ...................................................................................................................................... 59 3.2.1. Selection criteria of cases ............................................................................................................ 59 3.2.2. Selected cases .............................................................................................................................. 60 3.2.3. Selection criteria of respondents ................................................................................................. 62 3.2.4. Selected respondents ................................................................................................................... 62 3.2.5. Main question-guidelines for the analysis of in-depth interviews ............................................... 63 3.3. Analysis and results ............................................................................................................................ 63 3.3.1. The production of discourse and how this shapes attitudes ......................................................... 63 3.3.2. Influencing arguments on attitude formation .............................................................................. 71 3.3.3. Development of social attitudes towards local wind projects: .................................................... 81 4. Integration of the qualitative and quantitative research lines ......................................................... 91 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 91 4.2. Does the proximity of wind turbines has an influence on landscape appreciation? ........................... 92 4.3. Do different social groups develop similar attitudes towards wind energy farms? ............................ 95 4.3.1. Attitude differentiation according the geographic regions .......................................................... 96 4.3.2.. Socioeconomic characteristics .................................................................................................... 98 4.4. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 100 5. Conclusions and recommendations for developers and policy makers ........................................ 101 6. References .......................................................................................................................................... 105 SSD – La Science pour un Développement Durable – Energy 3 Project SD/EN/01 - Landscape capacity and social attitudes towards wind energy projects in Belgium “LACSAWEP” 0. English Summary 0.1. Objectives of the research project LACSAWEP The recent increase of the price of energy and the awareness of the global warming stimulated the development of on wind energy parks in many parts of the world. In Belgium the wind power capacity increased significantly over the last 5 years from a capacity of 35 MW in 2002 to 287 MW at the end of 2007. It may be expected that the number of wind turbines will continue to increase in the coming decade.