Seeing the Wind (Farm): Applying Q-methodology to Understand the Public’s Reception of the Visuals Around a Wind Farm Development

ABSTRACT

This research investigates the reception of the visual representations of a wind farm (WF) development by local stakeholders. Using non-verbal Qmethodology, residents of Lesvos’ island, Greece, sort images according to how these images represented their opinion about the proposed Aegean Link WF project. We found three opinion types. The “Risk Averter” type is focused on the various risks of constructing and operating the Aegean Link wind development. The “Green Developer” type believes that the renewable energy project will benefit both their local community and the environment. The “Realist” type defers to expert knowledge to make decisions about project outcomes and is sceptical of media bias. While the former two types seem to form their visual opinions based on whether they are in favour or against (respectively) of the WF development, the Realist opinion is rather guided by carefully considering whether the visual stimuli are representative of the project’s actual characteristics.

KEYWORDS:

• Windfarms
• Q-methodology
• images
• environmental conflict
• Greece

Acknowledgements

The first author gives special thanks to those who helped in learning the Greek language and in conducting interviews in rural areas of Lesvos Island. The authors give sincere thanks to those residents of Lesvos Island who graciously volunteered their time for the interviews presented in this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Iosif Botetzagias http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8287-9722

Athanasios Kizos http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1526-0919

Additional information

Funding

The first author gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Lydia Press Memorial Fund.