As an emerging industry, questions and concerns often arise surrounding proposed and operating wind energy projects.

This information is designed to give answers to common concerns and frequently asked questions. Facts and figures from

independent sources were used to support the information.

PROPERTY VALUES

There is no evidence that residential property values are negatively impacted by wind energy projects. To date, studies that examine the

local property values have found no clear evidence to support the claim that home values are negatively affected by the presence of wind

energy projects. A study conducted by the Renewable Energy Policy Project in 2003 (Sterzinger, Beck, Kostiuk) of 24,000 home sales

surrounding 11 wind projects in the United States found that in some communities, home values near the facilities rose faster than those

of properties in the control group. Landowners with wind projects on their property receive lease payments for the use of their land from

wind project developers. This income effectively increases the land’s economic value and can provide the farmer with a hedge against

crop price fluctuations. A report issued by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in December 2009 further support this claim.

Between 1996 and 2007, the US Department of Energy sponsored a study of 7,500 single-family property sales situated within 10 miles

of 24 existing wind projects. The conclusion of the study states that neither the view of the wind projects nor the distance of the homes to

those projects is found to have any consistent, measurable and statistically significant effect on home sales prices.


NOTES:

i. The Renewable Energy Policy Project’s (REPP) goal is to accelerate the use of renewable energy by providing credible information,

insightful policy analysis and innovative strategies amid changing energy markets and mounting environmental needs by researching,

publishing and disseminating information, creating policy tools and hosting highly active, online discussion groups.