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Wind turbines evoke a variety of emotional responses

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People’s attitudes towards wind turbines are more complex than a simple case of love-or-hate, a social science researcher is discovering. Visitors gazing at turbines in the Welsh countryside experience a wide range of emotions, from memories of youth to feelings of powerlessness in the face of the political machine, according to Greg Dash, who is studying for a PhD at Aberystwyth University.

Mr Dash, who is researching how visitors to rural landscapes perceive wind turbines, will be investigating his theme further during the national Festival of Social Science in November, organised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), when he will take a group of around 30 members of the public on a tour around wind turbines in the Ceredigion region of central Wales to photograph the structures and explore the participants' responses.

During the past two years Mr Dash has interviewed some 200 people walking in the countryside where turbines are visible. "It seems that visitors can accommodate the presence of the turbines – they will not stop coming because of them," said Mr Dash. "But the responses to these rotating structures on the landscape are often more complex than first appears."

One man, for example, on seeing the blades was reminded of a particular incident in his childhood, walking with his family and of his relationship with his father. For another person, the constant twirling of the blades made her think about the 'circle of life' - the movement of the turbines appeared to her almost natural.

For several people, the turbines were a symbol of distrust: the powerlessness of the ordinary citizen within the political process. "People feel as though these large and imposing structures suddenly appeared on the landscape and they represent this sense of disengagement with the decision making process. Talking to the public revealed that these structures reminded people of these feelings, feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness to change the conditions that affect their everyday lives," Mr Dash said.

The idea behind the Festival of Social Science event on 2 November is to allow members of the public to explore their feelings about the relationship between the landscape and man-made structures such as turbines. "I want to create a space for people to conduct their own research," Mr Dash said. "To really discover what they themselves think without being under the constraints imposed by the usual public consultation exercises that accompany research on this technology. This will be an exploration of a highly political issue but within a politically neutral environment. It’s a chance for people to find out about the research process, conduct their own research and find answers within their own data on the impact of turbines on the experience in the countryside."

Mr Dash stressed that his work is still at an early stage and that no firm conclusions can yet be made, but said, "It does seem clear that people engage with wind turbines in a wide variety of ways, and some of them quite unexpected."

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Notes for editors

  1. Event: Walking amongst the wind turbines
    Organiser: Mr Greg Dash, Aberystwyth University
    Date: 2 November 2013
    Venue: Google map link to: SY23 3AL
    Audience: General audience
    For more information: please contact Greg Dash on 07951 554327
  2. Greg Dash is a research student at Aberystwyth University. His research looks at the impact of renewable energy developments on tourism, in terms of both economic impact and impact on the visitor experience.
  3. Images are available on request; please contact the ESRC Press Office.
  4. The Festival of Social Science is run by the Economic and Social Research Council and takes place from 2-9 November 2013. With events from some of the country's leading social scientists, the Festival celebrates the very best of British social science research and how it influences our social, economic and political lives - both now and in the future. This year's Festival of Social Science has over 170 creative and exciting events across the UK to encourage businesses, charities, government agencies, schools and college students to discuss, discover and debate topical social science issues. Press releases detailing some of the varied events and a full list of the programme are available at the Festival website. You can now follow updates from the Festival on twitter using #esrcfestival.
  5. The Economic and Social Research Council is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's total budget for 2012/13 is £205 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes.

Susie Watts 
Email: susie.watts@esrc.ac.uk 
Telephone: 01793 413119

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

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Economic and Social Research Council Festival of Social Science