Community Perceptions of Trust, Procedural Justice, and Project Support Near Two Nova Scotia Wind Farms

Abstract

Unfair wind turbine siting practices threaten to delay a just energy transition. Trust between community residents and leaders of turbine siting processes has been underappreciated by researchers, developers, and policy makers. This study explored how trust affected resident perceptions of fairness (procedural justice) and project support during a local wind development process. Semi-structured interviews (n=19) were conducted with residents near two Nova Scotia wind farms and a four-part model of trust was applied as a deductive coding framework. Results identified five factors related to resident trust and eight factors related to distrust. Trust was related to perceptions of fairness and project support, distrust to unfairness and opposition. Results suggest trust is a valuable lens through which to understand wind turbine siting processes. Applying a clear trust framework should aid researchers and help policy makers design fair, consistent regulatory environments for turbine development that foster community trust and support.