Living in the Vicinity of Wind Turbines - A Grounded Theory Study

• Published in: Qualitative research in psychology 2007-08, Vol.4 (1-2), p.49-63
• Main Authors: Pedersen, E., Hallberg, LR-M., Waye, K.P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin; Audio-visual interaction; Coping; Environmental stressors; Grounded theory; Home; Human response; multi-modal perception; Multimodal perception; Noise annoyance; Occupational Health and Environmental Health; SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP; Shadows; SOCIAL SCIENCES; Sound; Territoriality; Wind power
• ISSN: 1478-0887; 1478-0895; 1478-0895
• DOI: 10.1080/14780880701473409

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.