Transatlantic Coastal Community Voices on Floating Offshore Wind Farms With Artificial Reefs
ABSTRACT In the United States (US) and in France, offshore wind farms (OWFs) and floating offshore wind farms (FOWFs) have faced political concerns and, in some cases, strong stakeholder opposition. Respecting the views of local communities is critical for a socially responsible energy transition. T...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Wind Energy |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/we.70021 |
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| author | Antoine Dubois Alison Bates Angela Lin Franck Schoefs Pierre‐Alexandre Mahieu |
| author_facet | Antoine Dubois Alison Bates Angela Lin Franck Schoefs Pierre‐Alexandre Mahieu |
| author_sort | Antoine Dubois |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT In the United States (US) and in France, offshore wind farms (OWFs) and floating offshore wind farms (FOWFs) have faced political concerns and, in some cases, strong stakeholder opposition. Respecting the views of local communities is critical for a socially responsible energy transition. The development of such projects should also minimize impacts on the environment. This study aimed to assess and compare US and French coastal communities' perceptions of OWFs and FOWFs and to understand how artificial reefs may affect attitudes towards FOWFs. In 2022, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with local people in the state of Maine (US) and in the Pays‐de‐la‐Loire region (France) near planned or existing floating offshore wind projects. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Overall, a remarkable similarity was found between the regions, where both American and French communities were generally supportive of OWFs, and FOWFs in particular. Most concerns were related to biodiversity impacts, economic impacts (fisheries and economics) or aesthetic impacts. Differences between countries were seen in secondary concerns such as noise impacts or maintenance issues. Artificial reefs were largely viewed positively, although people were skeptical about the benefits and concerned about material and cost. Artificial reefs did not change people's opinions about FOWFs, and instead, they reinforced attitudes of opponents and supporters. People showed strong agreement upon their confidence in scientific leadership for such future projects, expressing a need for collaboration between academic researchers, governments, private companies, and seafarers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ab5c72fb86ba4aaab5bca4a7ba5d4b46 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1095-4244 1099-1824 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wind Energy |
| spelling | doaj-art-ab5c72fb86ba4aaab5bca4a7ba5d4b462025-08-20T03:13:33ZengWileyWind Energy1095-42441099-18242025-06-01286n/an/a10.1002/we.70021Transatlantic Coastal Community Voices on Floating Offshore Wind Farms With Artificial ReefsAntoine Dubois0Alison Bates1Angela Lin2Franck Schoefs3Pierre‐Alexandre Mahieu4ISOMer UR2160 Nantes Université Nantes FranceDepartment of Environmental Studies Colby College Waterville Maine USADepartment of Environmental Studies Colby College Waterville Maine USAISOMer UR2160 Nantes Université Nantes FranceLEMNA Nantes Université Nantes FranceABSTRACT In the United States (US) and in France, offshore wind farms (OWFs) and floating offshore wind farms (FOWFs) have faced political concerns and, in some cases, strong stakeholder opposition. Respecting the views of local communities is critical for a socially responsible energy transition. The development of such projects should also minimize impacts on the environment. This study aimed to assess and compare US and French coastal communities' perceptions of OWFs and FOWFs and to understand how artificial reefs may affect attitudes towards FOWFs. In 2022, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with local people in the state of Maine (US) and in the Pays‐de‐la‐Loire region (France) near planned or existing floating offshore wind projects. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Overall, a remarkable similarity was found between the regions, where both American and French communities were generally supportive of OWFs, and FOWFs in particular. Most concerns were related to biodiversity impacts, economic impacts (fisheries and economics) or aesthetic impacts. Differences between countries were seen in secondary concerns such as noise impacts or maintenance issues. Artificial reefs were largely viewed positively, although people were skeptical about the benefits and concerned about material and cost. Artificial reefs did not change people's opinions about FOWFs, and instead, they reinforced attitudes of opponents and supporters. People showed strong agreement upon their confidence in scientific leadership for such future projects, expressing a need for collaboration between academic researchers, governments, private companies, and seafarers.https://doi.org/10.1002/we.70021attitudesbiocolonizationenergyFrancepublic perceptionsUnited States |
| spellingShingle | Antoine Dubois Alison Bates Angela Lin Franck Schoefs Pierre‐Alexandre Mahieu Transatlantic Coastal Community Voices on Floating Offshore Wind Farms With Artificial Reefs Wind Energy attitudes biocolonization energy France public perceptions United States |
| title | Transatlantic Coastal Community Voices on Floating Offshore Wind Farms With Artificial Reefs |
| title_full | Transatlantic Coastal Community Voices on Floating Offshore Wind Farms With Artificial Reefs |
| title_fullStr | Transatlantic Coastal Community Voices on Floating Offshore Wind Farms With Artificial Reefs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transatlantic Coastal Community Voices on Floating Offshore Wind Farms With Artificial Reefs |
| title_short | Transatlantic Coastal Community Voices on Floating Offshore Wind Farms With Artificial Reefs |
| title_sort | transatlantic coastal community voices on floating offshore wind farms with artificial reefs |
| topic | attitudes biocolonization energy France public perceptions United States |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/we.70021 |
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