Proposing a value-sharing mechanism for wind power: Impacts of benefit-sharing and community engagement on acceptance and environmental awareness

As governments increasingly promote installing wind power plants, conflicts with residents have emerged. Some wind farm villages implement financial benefit-sharing schemes and organize public hearings, yet empirical evidence on the effectiveness of such mechanisms remains limited. This study examines whether financial benefit-sharing and community participation are associated with residents' acceptance of wind turbines and with environmental awareness. We propose a Value-sharing Mechanism (VSM) framework by comparing villages with different benefit-sharing types and participation levels. A survey of 95 residents from three wind farm villages in Jeju Island, South Korea, classified as utility-focused, benefit-focused, and participation-focused models, was conducted. The Kruskal-Wallis test, correlation analysis, and linear regression were employed to assess the relationships among perception of benefit-sharing, community engagement, local acceptance, and environmental awareness. Results indicate that both benefit-sharing and community engagement are positively associated with local acceptance, but not with environmental awareness. These findings inform theoretical insights through the lens of commons theory and may inform practice for designing self-governing sustainable renewable energy projects under the VSM framework.