TITLE:
Wind Turbines: Why Some Families Living in Proximity to Wind Energy Facilities Contemplate Vacating Their Homes: An Overview of Findings
AUTHORS:
Carmen M. Krogh, Robert Y. McMurtry, W. Ben Johnson, Anne Dumbrille, Mariana Alves-Pereira, Jerry L. Punch, Debra Hughes, Linda Rogers, Robert W. Rand, Richard James, Stephen E. Ambrose, Lorrie Gillis
KEYWORDS:
Wind Turbines, Wind Energy Facilities, Chronic Noise, Vacated and Abandoned Homes, Adverse Health Effects, Grounded Theory, Personal Interviews
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.7 No.6,
June
28,
2020
ABSTRACT: Background: Some families living near wind energy facilities report permanently vacating their homes while others contemplate doing so. While these events are reported on the Internet and social media, research is lacking. This study explored why some people living in proximity to wind turbines contemplate such housing decisions. Methods: This ethics-reviewed study used the Grounded Theory methodology and audio recorded interviews with those who had previously lived, or were currently living near wind turbines. Audio files were transcribed to text, and the data analysed using NVivo12 Pro software. Objectives: To explore the events that influenced families living within 10 km from wind energy facilities to contemplate vacating their homes. To generate a substantive theory regarding these housing decisions. Results: All 67 participants associated occurrences of adverse health effects, or the potential for such effects when living within 10 km of a wind energy facility. Some temporarily left during the day and/or night to alleviate effects. Discussion: This article presents an overview of results with additional details pending in future peer-reviewed articles. Using a systematic methodology, data analysis lends support for the theory that housing decisions were motivated by the proximity of wind energy facilities within 10 km of homes and the interviewees’ observations of the occurrence or potential risk of adverse health effects. Members of the public, researchers, health care practitioners, engineers and acousticians, social scientists, and policy makers with an interest in health and social policy are presented with the potential outcomes of placing wind turbines near family homes.