IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 51
Public acceptability is a broad concept that refers to people's
general evaluation of energy projects, i.e., the extent to
which they favor or disfavor a particular energy project.
Financial Incentives Will Increase
Public acceptability
it is commonly assumed that if people are compensated financially for the possible risks and costs of energy projects, they
will accept these projects. this idea is supported by the fact
that if you ask people directly what motivates them most, they
often mention finances, such as the price of energy technology or their energy bill. Financial incentives can indeed have
positive effects on public acceptability, especially when large
investments are needed. For example, high up-front costs
for energy technology (e.g., solar panels and heat pumps) may
reduce the likelihood that the technology will be adopted, while
tax rebates, subsidies, and feed-in tariffs that reduce the initial
up-front costs and/or the subsequent costs for the energy use
can increase public acceptance of such technologies. however,
financial incentives do not always have the expected effect on
public acceptability, particularly when the amount is small and
it is uncertain whether people will benefit at all. even more
importantly, issues other than financial costs and benefits may
drive public acceptability. interestingly, when measured indirectly, financial incentives are not always the main motivation
(see also van der Werff et al. in this issue).
Effects on Personal Comfort, Well-Being, and Health
People may be concerned about, for example, noise from
wind turbines, the visual impact of high-voltage power lines,
or noise and local pollution from bioenergy power plants.
regardless of whether or not such risks are factually true, or
even if the chances of any of these risks occurring are very
small, such concerns should be taken seriously as they can vividly influence public acceptability.
Signaling Value
renewable energy projects and energy-efficient technologies such as electric vehicles tend to be more acceptable
when people perceive them as signaling something positive
about themselves, for example, if they have a positive symbolic function (see also Jans et al. in this issue). People may
be proud to be part of renewable initiatives and enjoy making a public commitment to sustainability. For example, in
Japan, the names of community members who contributed
to a wind park are placed on the wind turbines. Providing
financial incentives could potentially impede the signaling
value as, if there is money to be earned, it may reduce the
opportunity for people to see themselves, and to be seen, as
doing the right thing.
january/february 2018
Environmental and Societal Consequences
the more people believe that certain energy projects provide
benefits to society and the environment, such as public safety
and a reliable and sustainable energy supply, the more they
may support these projects. there is empirical evidence suggesting that, in comparison with financial arguments, public
health and environmental arguments more strongly influence
public acceptability. collective benefits for society at large,
as well as for the local community where an energy project is
to be sited, can influence acceptability. research has shown
that individuals who strongly self-identify with their country are more supportive of energy infrastructure projects that
are labeled as nationally significant and are more trusting of
national energy institutions such as grid companies. Providing financial incentives can crowd out intrinsic motivation
driven by societal and environmental concerns, and people
will cease to act sustainably when the incentives are no longer large enough or when they are taken away.
Fair Distribution of Costs and Benefits
besides the different types of costs and benefits per se,
how the positive and negative consequences are distributed
among people, either broadly speaking or within a community, is important for the pubic acceptability of energy
projects. Financial incentives could potentially be a good
strategy to compensate the groups that are most disadvantaged by energy projects (e.g., those living in the vicinity of a
power plant). at the same time, care should be taken so that
such compensations are not perceived as bribes, for example,
when people think that developers should address the potential societal and environmental risks and benefits of energy
projects rather than providing compensation aimed at only
increasing support for these projects. in sum, financial incentives can be effective in influencing public acceptability of
energy projects, particularly when large investment costs are
at stake. however, financial incentives should be used with
care, considering other possible concerns that may drive public acceptability.
Education and Information
Can Enhance Public acceptability
One-way communication from project developers and politicians to the public is usually based on the assumption that
people are ignorant or unaware of the benefits of energy
projects. hence, it is assumed that information on the (financial) benefits of the projects will increase people's knowledge
ieee power & energy magazine
51
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018
Contents
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - Intro
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - Cover1
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - Cover2
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - Contents
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 2
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 3
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 4
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 5
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 6
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 7
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 8
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 9
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 10
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 11
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 12
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 13
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 14
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 15
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 16
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 17
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - 18
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IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - Cover3
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2018 - Cover4
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