Solar Farm or Salt Wetland? Applying a Contingent Valuation Method to Determine Willingness to Pay for Cigu's Salt Pans

＂Green conflict＂ means the conflict between renewable energy development and preservation of natural resources. Cigu, a rural district in the southwest of Taiwan, faces a green conflict between ground-mounted solar power plants installations and wetlands. This research is an attempt to address how people evaluate the unused salt pans and how much they are willing to pay to preserve unused salt pans. The contingent valuation method (CVM) is used to elicit the willingness to pay (WTP) for unused salt pans. The results showed that average WTP of Cigu's respondents was higher than that of the respondents in Tainan City. The result indicates the existence of active local advocates. Age, education, and location were the three factors that had significant impacts on WTP in the Tobit regression. Determining how to balance renewable energy development and natural resource preservation is one of the main tasks a government needs to accomplish during the energy transition.

關鍵字

energy transition ； renewable energy ； green conflict ； wetlands ； solar power

並列摘要

「綠色衝突」指的是因為發展替代能源與自然資源保護的衝突，位於台南西南邊的七股區目前就正面臨設置地面型太陽光電廠與保護鹽灘濕地的綠色衝突。鹽灘濕地無市場評估之經濟價值但具環境外部性，故本研究利用權變評價法（contingent valuation method）對當地居民進行問卷調查，以找出民眾對於鹽灘濕地的「願付價格」（willing to pay）。研究對象為七股本地居民與台南市民眾，抽樣方式為便利抽樣法，由訪員面對面請受訪對象填寫問卷。研究結果顯示，七股當地居民的願付價格高於台南市居民，且有些七股當地居民願意付極高的價格來保護鹽灘濕地。Tobit迴歸分析的結果顯示，年齡、教育程度與居住地為影響受訪者願付價格的三大要素。在發展替代能源的同時，各地的綠色衝突紛紛出現，願付價格顯示，雖然自然資源未具實際貨幣價值，但民眾仍願為其支付一定程度的金額以換取自然資源的存續。政府在能源轉型的過程中不可忽視綠色衝突的產生，也不應只計算有數字的成本效益，而忽略了民眾對永續發展的期待。

並列關鍵字

能源轉型；再生能源；綠色衝突；濕地；太陽能發電

參考文獻

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