Abstract
Background
There have been increasing efforts nationally and internationally to promote renewable energy as a response to the awareness of the limited supply of fossil fuels, to meet growing energy demand, and to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of fossil fuel use. To address these efforts, there have been numerous studies to address the impact to local communities. However, these studies have typically focused on either the economic or the social aspects of the wind farm development. This study analyzes the combined and varied socioeconomic impacts as well as the stakeholder perceptions associated with wind power development in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
Methods
This project uses a mixed-method approach to investigate the impact on a small city when a substantial wind farm is built nearby. This approach consists of three components: a survey, in-depth personal interviews, and economic modeling. The economic modeling is performed to determine both direct and indirect economic impacts.
Results
Results from this research show the economic impact on the local community and estimate the number of construction and other types of jobs. In addition, the interviews and surveys illustrate other aspects of the socioeconomic impact and describe overall attitudes of the population to the wind farm development.
Conclusions
The study uses a case study and a mixed methods approach to illustrate the socioeconomic impacts of wind farm development. As the world moves increasingly toward green energy, studies like this are important to be able to fully understand impacts on the local community of this type of development.