Research Papers at UCONN
Research Papers at UCONN
with Charles Towe, Pengfei Liu, Stephen Swallow
This paper presents water quality valuation results based on a large-scale survey experiment in the Northeast U.S.
Keywords: Non-Market Valuation, Choice Experiment, Stated Preference, Water Quality
Measuring the relative value of water quality improvements in sites that are heavily degraded versus sites that are only moderately degraded and have the potential to produce a substantial set of ecosystem services.
Quantifying the relative value of water quality enhancements concerning ecosystem services, as measured by the human use score, in contrast to biological condition improvements, as indicated by the ecological integrity score.
Evaluating how the value or benefits associated with water quality and ecosystem restoration are influenced by the local economic and ecosystem context.
Identifying how the value or benefits of water quality and ecosystem restoration is affected by the location of the water streams (in the county, upstream, downstream, or disconnected).
Our results revealed that individuals valued water quality improvement differently across various levels of degradation, across study sites that were heavily degraded and only moderately degraded. Additionally, alterations in biological conditions directly affect valuations, in contrast to changes in ecosystem services. Consequently, amalgamating these two distinct sets of values on varying levels of enhancement into an overarching value could obscure these differences and introduce potential valuation bias when assessing certain policy scenarios. These results were consistent with simulations of a WQI that were conducted for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) benefit–cost analyses of federal regulations, which suggested that aggregations of subindices into a WQI could have large effects on benefit estimation, potentially changing the balance of benefits and costs. Moreover, our observations revealed that individuals attributed different values to sites based on their unique local economic and ecosystem contexts, where the location of water quality improvement also played a significant role in valuation.
Heterogeneity in Public’s Preferences for Wind and Solar Farms Development in Northeast US
With Charles Towe, Martin Heintzelman, Sachin Badole
This study uses data from a discrete choice experiment in the Northeastern U.S. to examine resident preferences for siting wind and solar energy projects. It explores the impacts of landscape, agricultural production, cooperation, and compensation to stakeholders.
Keywords: Non-Market Valuation, Choice Experiment, Stated Preference, Sitting Renewable Infrastructure, Marginal Willingness to Accept (MWTA).
Examine public preferences for the siting of wind and solar farms within their local communities and to estimate willingness to accept (WTA) values, balancing the trade-offs between their negative impacts and potential benefits.
Investigate the heterogeneity in preferences across different respondent groups, analyzing factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, political leanings, experiences with renewable energy projects, residential status, outdoor activity frequency, and attitudes toward place attachment, climate change, and community-specific environmental, economic, and agricultural concerns.
The findings reveal key attributes that influence public acceptance of wind and solar energy projects. Not surprisingly, aesthetic esthetic impacts emerged as a significant factor, with opposition increasing as visual impact grows or as projects are located closer to residential areas. However, agricultural production impacts were comparatively less influential in shaping public preferences. On the other hand, elements such as community ownership or early engagement during project planning, and compensation schemes—such as subsidies and payments to landowners and local communities—were found to foster greater acceptance. On average, respondents indicated a willingness to accept $88 reduction in their electricity bill subsidy, demonstrating overall support for wind or solar farm development in their local community. Notably, the analysis also highlights deviations in mean MWTA values, suggesting variability in preferences among respondents from different demographic and experiential groups. These findings suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to incentives may not be effective, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies to address diverse community needs and priorities.