Denmark’s leading energy provider, Andel, has a clear mission: to accelerate the green transition of our energy by encouraging people to change their NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) mindset to a YIMBY (yes-in-my-backyard) mindset.  

The vast majority of Danes support the green transition of our energy, but as soon as it affects their local area, they put on the brakes. This has meant that many planned wind turbine projects in Denmark have been stalled by local citizen protests, contributing to a general lack of new renewable energy projects in Denmark. 

To meet Denmark’s political ambitions and climate targets, we must accelerate the construction of wind farms and solar parks. There is no time to waste, and the majority of Danes agree on the urgency. Yet, despite widespread support, a small but vocal minority of local protest groups have managed to halt or delay several renewable energy projects across the country. 

Recognising the serious implications of this trend – for the green transition and for our planet – Andel set out to prove that living near wind turbines is far less disruptive than some critics claim. 

To debunk the myths and prejudices surrounding wind turbines, Andel created ‘Windy Retreats’: the first initiative of its kind inviting sceptics to book a stay in real homes next to wind turbines. Andel collaborated with real wind turbine neighbours who made their homes available, so that people could experience for themselves what it’s like to live near wind turbines. The houses were chosen to represent all of Denmark and different types of wind turbines – both onshore and offshore – as well as the prejudices and myths surrounding them. 

The initiative gave sceptics the first-hand experience they needed to challenge their NIMBY-mindset and come to their own conclusions about, for example, how much noise wind turbines make, how much shadow they cast or whether they affect sleep

A key aim for the campaign was to stimulate the debate and, in particular, to involve those who are in favour of the green transition, but who often are often silent in the debate. Going into the campaign, Andel expected that the majority of the population would be receptive to the campaign’s message. 

The campaign generated 1,277 booking requests for wind turbine neighbour homes during the autumn holiday. Due to the high demand and knowing that it wouldn’t be possible to accommodate everyone, a map was also created with links to over 600 rental properties that could be booked, for those who weren’t lucky enough to secure a free stay. The national ads had a recall rate among the population of 76 percent and the campaign had a positive impact on the perception of wind turbines for more than 900,000 Danes. 

On social media, the campaign reached a total of 2.75 million people and generated a lot of discussion. The vast majority of engagement on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram was positive (around 65 percent of interactions were positive). 

The campaign was also widely covered in the national media. Media analysis showed that the coverage of the campaign was generally very positive.