IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eneeco/v145y2025ics0140988325002282.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Smells like Green Energy: The Impact of Bioenergy Production on Residential Property Values in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Hoffmann, Christin
  • Byrukuri Gangadhar, Shanmukha Srinivas
  • Müsgens, Felix

Abstract

One requirement for the fast and efficient development of bioenergy is a clear understanding of the negative externalities bioenergy facilities cause. At this point, discussions in practice and research as to which externalities have an impact and how strong this potential impact actually is remain inconclusive. We utilize bioenergy plant construction data from Germany between 2007 and 2022 and match it with information about real estate in the plants’ vicinity. Applying improved difference-in-difference estimation procedures to analyze heterogeneous treatment effects, we interpret a causal impact of bioenergy plant commissioning on housing prices in the vicinity in terms of the average net external effects affecting the vicinity. Overall, we find a minor negative impact of −0.5% on home prices within 1 km of bioenergy plants but no statistically significant effect beyond this distance. This suggests that visual pollution has a limited role as an externality of bioenergy plants. However, if we restrict the sample to homes downwind of bioenergy plants, we find a significant yet small negative impact on home prices, ranging from −1.0% to −1.3%. Additionally, homes near bioenergy plants that use gaseous inputs – which emit stronger odors – experience price reductions between −0.4% to −0.7%. This lets us conclude that, besides visual pollution, odor emission may play a more significant role in affecting nearby home prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Hoffmann, Christin & Byrukuri Gangadhar, Shanmukha Srinivas & Müsgens, Felix, 2025. "Smells like Green Energy: The Impact of Bioenergy Production on Residential Property Values in Germany," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:145:y:2025:i:c:s0140988325002282
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2025.108404
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988325002282
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eneco.2025.108404?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Strzalka, Rafal & Schneider, Dietrich & Eicker, Ursula, 2017. "Current status of bioenergy technologies in Germany," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 801-820.
    2. Dröes, Martijn I. & Koster, Hans R.A., 2021. "Wind turbines, solar farms, and house prices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    3. Clément de Chaisemartin & Xavier D'Haultfœuille, 2020. "Two-Way Fixed Effects Estimators with Heterogeneous Treatment Effects," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(9), pages 2964-2996, September.
    4. Jensen, Cathrine Ulla & Panduro, Toke Emil & Lundhede, Thomas Hedemark & Nielsen, Anne Sofie Elberg & Dalsgaard, Mette & Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark, 2018. "The impact of on-shore and off-shore wind turbine farms on property prices," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 50-59.
    5. Gibbons, Stephen, 2015. "Gone with the wind: Valuing the visual impacts of wind turbines through house prices," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 177-196.
    6. Zemo, Kahsay Haile & Panduro, Toke Emil & Termansen, Mette, 2019. "Impact of biogas plants on rural residential property values and implications for local acceptance," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 1121-1131.
    7. de Chaisemartin, Clément & D’Haultfœuille, Xavier, 2023. "Two-way fixed effects and differences-in-differences estimators with several treatments," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 236(2).
    8. Martin Micheli & Jan Rouwendal & Jasper Dekkers, 2019. "Border Effects in House Prices," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 47(3), pages 757-783, September.
    9. Cl'ement de Chaisemartin & Xavier D'Haultf{oe}uille, 2020. "Difference-in-Differences Estimators of Intertemporal Treatment Effects," Papers 2007.04267, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2024.
    10. Richard C. Ready, 2010. "Do Landfills Always Depress Nearby Property Values?," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 32(3), pages 321-340.
    11. Dröes, Martijn I. & Koster, Hans R.A., 2016. "Renewable energy and negative externalities: The effect of wind turbines on house prices," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 121-141.
    12. Clément de Chaisemartin & Xavier D’Haultfœuille, 2023. "Two-way fixed effects and differences-in-differences with heterogeneous treatment effects: a survey," The Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 26(3), pages 1-30.
    13. Goodman-Bacon, Andrew, 2021. "Difference-in-differences with variation in treatment timing," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 254-277.
    14. Marcy Burchfield & Henry G. Overman & Diego Puga & Matthew A. Turner, 2006. "Causes of Sprawl: A Portrait from Space," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 121(2), pages 587-633.
    15. Rivera, Nathaly M. & Loveridge, Scott, 2022. "Coal-to-gas fuel switching and its effects on housing prices," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    16. Frondel, Manuel & Kussel, Gerhard & Sommer, Stephan & Vance, Colin, 2019. "Local cost for global benefit: The case of wind turbines," Ruhr Economic Papers 791, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen, revised 2019.
    17. Hansen, Christian B., 2007. "Asymptotic properties of a robust variance matrix estimator for panel data when T is large," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 141(2), pages 597-620, December.
    18. Kenneth Y. Chay & Michael Greenstone, 2005. "Does Air Quality Matter? Evidence from the Housing Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 113(2), pages 376-424, April.
    19. Ahlström, Johan M. & Walter, Viktor & Göransson, Lisa & Papadokonstantakis, Stavros, 2022. "The role of biomass gasification in the future flexible power system – BECCS or CCU?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 596-605.
    20. Soland, Martin & Steimer, Nora & Walter, Götz, 2013. "Local acceptance of existing biogas plants in Switzerland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 802-810.
    21. Delzeit, Ruth & Britz, Wolfgang, 2012. "An economic assessment of biogas production and land use under the German renewable energy source act," Kiel Working Papers 1767, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    22. Marianne Bertrand & Esther Duflo & Sendhil Mullainathan, 2004. "How Much Should We Trust Differences-In-Differences Estimates?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 119(1), pages 249-275.
    23. Moulton, Brent R., 1986. "Random group effects and the precision of regression estimates," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 385-397, August.
    24. Sun, Liyang & Abraham, Sarah, 2021. "Estimating dynamic treatment effects in event studies with heterogeneous treatment effects," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 175-199.
    25. Lucas W. Davis, 2011. "The Effect of Power Plants on Local Housing Values and Rents," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 93(4), pages 1391-1402, November.
    26. Francois Des Rosiers, 2002. "Power Lines, Visual Encumbrance and House Values: A Microspatial Approach to Impact Measurement," Journal of Real Estate Research, American Real Estate Society, vol. 23(3), pages 275-302.
    27. Sunak, Yasin & Madlener, Reinhard, 2016. "The impact of wind farm visibility on property values: A spatial difference-in-differences analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 79-91.
    28. Modica, Marco, 2017. "Does the construction of biogas plants affect local property values?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 169-172.
    29. Bauer, Thomas K. & Braun, Sebastian T. & Kvasnicka, Michael, 2017. "Nuclear power plant closures and local housing values: Evidence from Fukushima and the German housing market," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 306480, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    30. Chinese, D. & Patrizio, P. & Nardin, G., 2014. "Effects of changes in Italian bioenergy promotion schemes for agricultural biogas projects: Insights from a regional optimization model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 189-205.
    31. Albert Saiz & Susan Wachter, 2011. "Immigration and the Neighborhood," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 3(2), pages 169-188, May.
    32. Stephen Gibbons & Stephen Machin, 2008. "Valuing school quality, better transport, and lower crime: evidence from house prices," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 24(1), pages 99-119, spring.
    33. François Rosiers, 2002. "Power Lines, Visual Encumbrance and House Values: A Microspatial Approach to Impact Measurement," Journal of Real Estate Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(3), pages 275-302, January.
    34. Christian Krekel & Julia Rechlitz & Johannes Rode & Alexander Zerrahn, 2020. "Quantifying the externalities of renewable energy plants using wellbeing data: The case of biogas," CEP Discussion Papers dp1738, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    35. Callaway, Brantly & Sant’Anna, Pedro H.C., 2021. "Difference-in-Differences with multiple time periods," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 200-230.
    36. Manuel Frondel & Andreas Gerster & Colin Vance, 2020. "The Power of Mandatory Quality Disclosure: Evidence from the German Housing Market," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 7(1), pages 181-208.
    37. Breidenbach Philipp & Eilers Lea, 2018. "RWI-GEO-GRID: Socio-economic data on grid level," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 238(6), pages 609-616, October.
    38. Kiel Katherine A. & McClain Katherine T., 1995. "The Effect of an Incinerator Siting on Housing Appreciation Rates," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 311-323, May.
    39. Clark David E. & Nieves Leslie A., 1994. "An Interregional Hedonic Analysis of Noxious Facility Impacts on Local Wages and Property Values," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 235-253, November.
    40. Lucas Davis, 2008. "The Effect of Power Plants on Local Housing Values and Rents: Evidence from Restricted Census Microdata," Working Papers 08-19, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    41. Boes, Stefan & Nüesch, Stephan & Wüthrich, Kaspar, 2015. "Hedonic valuation of the perceived risks of nuclear power plants," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 109-111.
    42. Bauer, Thomas K. & Braun, Sebastian T. & Kvasnicka, Michael, 2017. "Nuclear power plant closures and local housing values: Evidence from Fukushima and the German housing market," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 94-106.
    43. Dobers, Geesche M., 2019. "Acceptance of biogas plants taking into account space and place," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fabra, Natalia & Gutiérrez, Eduardo & Lacuesta, Aitor & Ramos, Roberto, 2024. "Do renewable energy investments create local jobs?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    2. Tang, Cheng Keat & Gibbons, Stephen, 2024. "Are friends electric? Valuing the social costs of power lines using house prices," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    3. Roth, Jonathan & Sant’Anna, Pedro H.C. & Bilinski, Alyssa & Poe, John, 2023. "What’s trending in difference-in-differences? A synthesis of the recent econometrics literature," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 235(2), pages 2218-2244.
    4. Carsten Andersen & Timo Hener, 2025. "Wind Turbines, Shadow Flicker, and Real Estate Values," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 88(3), pages 731-759, March.
    5. Fabre, Brice & Sangnier, Marc, 2025. "Where and why do politicians send pork? Evidence from central government transfers to French municipalities," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    6. Lahey, Joanna N. & Wanamaker, Marianne H., 2025. "Effects of restrictive abortion legislation on cohort mortality evidence from 19th century law variation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    7. Brunner, Eric J. & Hoen, Ben & Rand, Joe & Schwegman, David, 2024. "Commercial wind turbines and residential home values: New evidence from the universe of land-based wind projects in the United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    8. Bellégo, Christophe & Benatia, David & Dortet-Bernadet, Vincent, 2025. "The chained difference-in-differences," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    9. Faulques, Martin & Bonnet, Jean & Bourdin, Sébastien, 2025. "A comprehensive study of the effect of biogas units on real estate prices in France," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    10. Elena Kotyrlo, 2024. "Simple and complex difference-in-differences approach," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 73, pages 119-142.
    11. Frondel, Manuel & Kussel, Gerhard & Sommer, Stephan & Vance, Colin, 2019. "Local cost for global benefit: The case of wind turbines," Ruhr Economic Papers 791, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen, revised 2019.
    12. Bhorat, Haroon & Köhler, Timothy, 2025. "The labour market effects of cash transfers to the unemployed: Evidence from South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    13. Athey, Susan & Imbens, Guido W., 2022. "Design-based analysis in Difference-In-Differences settings with staggered adoption," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 226(1), pages 62-79.
    14. Nie, Rong & Song, Jinbo & Carneiro, Juliana, 2024. "Does emissions data disclosure of Waste-to-Energy incineration plants mitigate NIMBYism concerns? Evidence from the housing market," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1527, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    15. Francesconi, Marco & Sonedda, Daniela, 2024. "Does Weaker Employment Protection Lower the Cost of Job Loss?," IZA Discussion Papers 17374, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Pafadnam, Neerbewendé Abdoul Rachid, 2024. "How does implementing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) affect economic growth? Evidence from developing countries," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    17. Carr-Harris, Andrew & Lang, Corey, 2019. "Sustainability and tourism: the effect of the United States’ first offshore wind farm on the vacation rental market," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 51-67.
    18. Wehrle, Sebastian & Gruber, Katharina & Schmidt, Johannes, 2021. "The cost of undisturbed landscapes," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    19. Gregory Faletto, 2023. "Fused Extended Two-Way Fixed Effects for Difference-in-Differences With Staggered Adoptions," Papers 2312.05985, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2025.
    20. Marvin Schütt, 2024. "Wind Turbines and Property Values: A Meta-Regression Analysis," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(1), pages 1-43, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • L95 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Gas Utilities; Pipelines; Water Utilities
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • R32 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Other Spatial Production and Pricing Analysis

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:145:y:2025:i:c:s0140988325002282. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eneco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.