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