Public Acceptance of Electricity from Biomass
Impact of Direct Experience on Attitudes
Gundula Hübner & Anneloes Meijnders
IAPS 2004
/faculteit technologie management
Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
Designing energy technology
Precondition for success of new energy technology: public acceptance
Common practice: attention to public reactions at the time of implementation
Improving the acceptance:integrate public reactions in technology design process
Aim of our project:analyze public reactions to biomass energy systems,generate implications for designing installations and processes
Special focus: direct experience with biomass plants and electricity
Two survey studies were conducted throughout the Netherlands:
among electricity consumers (N = 330), 10 rural and urban districts
among residents living nearby biomass plants (N = 374), 6 locations
The study design
View: direct experience No view: no direct experience
Grey energy: no direct experienceGreen energy: direct experience
Hypotheses
Direct experience influences attitudes and intentions
Neighbours viewing the plant: less positive towards using it themselves
Green electricity consumers: more positive towards using it themselves
Direct experience influences attitude strength
Neighbours viewing the plant and green electricity consumers:stronger attitudes, e.g. are more certain
BUT neighbours viewing the plant are also more ambivalent:they experience a social dilemma
Attitude and intention towards buying biomass electricity
-0,5
0,5
View No view
Neighbours
Attitude Intention
-0,5
0,5
Green Grey
Consumers
Attitude Intention
Attitude strength
-0,5
0,5
View No view
Neighbours
Involvement Knowledge Certainty
-0,5
0,5
Green Grey
Consumers
Involvement Knowledge Certainty
Ambivalence
-0,5
0,5
Ambivalence
View No view
Neighbours
-0,5
0,5
Ambivalence
Green Grey
Consumers
Preference for specific materials
23 23
62
11
25
49
14 10
70
19
55
28
0102030405060708090
crops farmed wood
organicwaste
animal manure usedwood
%
neighbours consumers
Frequently (>= 10) mentioned reasons for preference
Neighbours ConsumersGrown crops Environment
Economy
Grown wood Environment Environment
Organic waste AvailableSolving waste problemEnvironmentRecyclingIt is wasteUtilizing the useless
AvailableSolving waste problemEnvironmentRecyclingIt is wasteUtilizing the uselessTwo problems solved at once
Animal powder & cadavers
Solving waste problem
Utilizing the useless
Manure Solving manure problemManure surplusAvailable
Solving manure problemManure surplus AvailableIt is waste
Used wood Solving waste problemUtilizing the uselessRecyclingEnvironment AvailableIt is waste
Solving waste problemUtilizing the uselessRecyclingAvailableIt is waste
Summary and Conclusion
Direct experience with green electricity:positive influence on attitudes and intentions towards buying biomass electricity
Direct experience with biomass installations:negative influence on attitudes and intentions towards buying biomasselectricity
Direct experience: stronger and thus more resistant attitudes
Contrast to the assumptions of energy suppliers:the ‘clean’ materials wood and energy crops are not the most preferred biomass types
Organic waste is preferred most frequently by both consumers and neighbours -> implications for design and implementation