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Spillover Effects of Renewable Energy: Re-examining Wind Turbine Impacts on Crop Yields via U.S. Parcel-level Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Lu, Qinan
  • Karwowski, Nicole
  • Liu, Pengfei
  • Wu, Karin

Abstract

As renewable energy development accelerates, wind turbines are increasingly being installed on agricultural land, raising questions about their effects on crop production. This paper investigates the impact of wind turbine installations on agricultural productivity using a high-resolution dataset that combines parcel-level corn yield data with detailed information on wind turbine locations and weather characteristics. Using Difference-in-differences approach to address potential endogeneity, we find that parcels within an 8-kilometer radius of wind turbines experienced, on average, a 1% increase in corn yield after installation. These results suggest that localized microclimatic changes induced by turbines may improve growing conditions. Our findings highlight an overlooked positive externality of renewable energy infrastructure and underscore the importance of incorporating land-use interactions into energy policy and planning.

Suggested Citation

  • Lu, Qinan & Karwowski, Nicole & Liu, Pengfei & Wu, Karin, 2025. "Spillover Effects of Renewable Energy: Re-examining Wind Turbine Impacts on Crop Yields via U.S. Parcel-level Evidence," 2025 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2025, Denver, CO 360609, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea25:360609
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.360609
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    References listed on IDEAS

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