Analysis: Wind turbines in Czech municipalities have no negative impact on property prices

Wind turbines in Czech municipalities have no negative impact on property prices, according to an analysis presented today by the Czech Wind Energy Association and the Chamber of Renewable Energy Sources together with the study’s authors. The value of family homes and recreational properties in areas with wind turbines has risen over the past ten years at a rate comparable to that in places without them, the analysis found. On average, property prices in municipalities with wind turbines were actually five percent higher. There are currently more than 200 wind turbines across more than a hundred municipalities in Czechia.

The analysis was prepared by experts from the Faculty of Economics at VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava and the Department of Environmental Geography at the Czech Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Geonics. The analysts used data on completed sales of family homes and individual recreational properties recorded in the land registry between 2014 and 2024.

“Based on our analysis, we can say that the presence of wind turbines does not have a statistically significant negative impact on property prices in surrounding areas under Czech conditions. Prices are influenced more by the geographical, economic and social factors of the regions concerned than by the presence of wind turbines,” said David Slavata of the Property Valuation Institute at the Faculty of Economics of VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava.

The construction of wind turbines is often accompanied by concerns that property values will fall. “However, our long-standing research shows that areas where wind turbines have been built experience what is known as the familiarisation effect. Residents’ first-hand experience of the turbines helps dispel their initial concerns about possible negative impacts. They get used to the turbines as a regular part of the landscape, and their positive contribution to local development comes to be seen as outweighing any drawbacks,” said Bohumil Frantál of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

According to the Chamber of Renewable Energy Sources, wind turbines can also help develop rural areas, for example through financial payments made by operators to municipalities, as well as direct financial benefits or discounts for local residents. “Revenue from wind turbines enables municipalities to invest in infrastructure and services, creating a more attractive place to live and drawing in new residents,” said Štěpán Chalupa, chair of the Chamber of Renewable Energy Sources.

He noted that this development is also supported by a newly approved law introducing a mandatory levy on electricity generated by wind turbines. The revenue will go directly to municipalities and will replace or, where appropriate, supplement the agreements with municipalities that have been used most widely to date.

However, according to long-term statistics, Czechia is lagging significantly behind in the development and use of wind energy. Last year, wind turbines generated one percent of the electricity consumed in Czechia, with the share stagnating in recent years. Across Europe, wind turbines accounted for 20 percent of electricity consumption last year.