An independent analysis has found no statistically significant evidence that proximity to a wind turbine affects home values in Massachusetts.
The report – commissioned by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and written by researchers from the University of Connecticut and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory – examined 122,000 Massachusetts real estate transactions between 1998 and 2012. It compared transactions within a half-mile of constructed wind turbines to similar transactions between one half-mile and five miles away.
As the MassCEC explains, Massachusetts has expanded the number of wind energy projects in the state from just 3 MW and three turbines installed in 2007 to more than 100 MW and dozens of turbines installed now throughout the commonwealth.
The center says the study compares the relationship between wind turbines and residential home values to those of factors previously shown to affect home prices, such as high-voltage transmission lines, landfills, highways, protected open space and proximity to beaches.
Of the impacts studied, landfills and transmission lines have the greatest negative impact (or disamenity) on home prices, while beachfront and proximity to beaches were found to have the greatest positive impact (or amenity) on home prices. The MassCEC says the study found that operating turbines have a +0.5% amenity, which falls within the study's margin of error.
"Properly sited renewable energy projects like wind turbines can deliver clean energy for our citizens and boost our local economy," says MassCEC CEO Alicia Barton. "This report is designed to provide fact-based research to inform decision-makers on potential impacts wind turbines could have on nearby property."
The full report is available here.
