Preference and Willingness-to-pay analysis for an eco-engineering technology for floating wind turbines

Abstract. As France accelerates its offshore wind energy ambitions to meet decarbonization targets, floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) have emerged as a key technology. However, concerns about their ecological and social impacts remain prominent among coastal populations. This study investigates public preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for an innovative eco-engineering solution to be integrated into future floating wind farms: a multifunctional structure aiming at enhancing marine biodiversity, supporting artisanal fisheries and minimizing seabed disturbance. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted on 306 French residents across five coastal departments to quantify trade-offs and explore territorial variation in acceptability.

The DCE included four attributes: structure material (recycled or new steel), biodiversity gain, impact on local fisheries revenue, and additional cost to electricity bills. Results from a Conditional Logit Model and WTP estimation reveal a generally high level of support for eco-engineering features with biodiversity and fishery co-benefits strongly valued. Only the “recycled steel” attribute showed significant territorial variation, with Bouches-du-Rhône respondents exhibiting a higher WTP for this attribute.

The study also showed that negative attitudes toward offshore wind power were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of selecting the status quo scenario, even when ecological enhancements were present. The study underscores the importance of integrating social preferences into the early design of FOWT projects and demonstrates that eco-engineering can be a viable lever for environmental and social integration of these projects.