Abstract
Landscape impacts are commonly cited as barriers to new energy infrastructure, but rarely are perceptions of such impacts monitored over time. Built in the mid-1960s, the Mactaquac hydroelectric generating station in New Brunswick, Canada, is degrading, and its future is under review. We took locals on houseboats to learn how they felt about the dam, the landscape it altered, and the future of the facility. Using the concept of cultural imaginaries we observe important themes about how landscape changes are experienced, perceived and reinterpreted by local residents over time. Despite the initial trauma of construction, most residents expressed a deep sense of place, identity and appreciation of the headpond's aesthetic and recreational value, as well as its renewable energy. Our methods revealed social pressures at play: collective discussions endorsed keeping the reservoir intact, whether or not energy continues to be produced, while individuals alone were more likely to appreciate the former river, with some participants privately open to its restoration. The establishment within a generation of connection to this site of energy production suggests the value of taking a long view to understanding landscape transitions, which cuts both ways, providing possible consolation to proponents of renewable and conventional energy alike.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 102-110 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Energy Research and Social Science |
Volume | 14 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was funded via a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Grant ( 435-2012-0636 ), to Parkins (PI), Beckley and Sherren. The researchers thank: the 25 participating residents of the Mactaquac region, New Brunswick, for their time and insights; Joe McNally and Larry Jewett for negotiating the houseboat rental agreement; Heather Marmura, Rodrigo Gutierrez Hermelo and Brendan Mittelholtz, filmographers; Christy Hempel for insights on landscape architecture; Susan Haydt for editorial assistance, and our boat pilot, Arielle Demerchant. The research was approved by ethics boards overseeing research involving humans at Dalhousie University and the University of New Brunswick. Beckley and Sherren have both lived in the Mactaquac area, but neither did at the time of this research; Beckley did, however, own waterfront property on the headpond at that time. No support was received from parties involved in the Mactaquac Dam decision.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Nuclear Energy and Engineering
- Fuel Technology
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)