Property Value Impacts of Wind Turbines and the Influence of Attitudes toward Wind Energy

The lack of consensus in the literature on wind turbines and property values suggests that factors such as attitudes toward wind energy may influence whether turbines will impact property values. Based on identified attitudes at the municipality level in the Canadian province of Ontario, this study compares impacts on property values, estimated using a difference-in-differences hedonic approach, between municipalities that oppose wind energy development and those that have not expressed opposition. The results indicate that wind turbines have negatively impacted property values in “unwilling host” municipalities, while no significant impacts are found in unopposed municipalities. (JEL R11, R52)