Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

In this study, we investigate the effect of planned or operating wind turbines on urban home values. Previous studies, which largely produced non-significant findings, focused on rural settings. We analyzed more than 122,000 home sales, between 1998 and 2012, that occurred near 41 turbines in densely populated Massachusetts communities. Although we found the effects from various negative features (such as electricity transmission lines) and positive features (such as open space) generally accorded with previous studies, we found no net effects due to turbines in these communities. We also found no unique impact on the rate of home sales near wind turbines.