Abstract
Growing international demand for renewable energy has led to rapid growth in the wind power sector and wind farms are becoming an increasingly common feature of landscapes and seascapes in many countries. However, as the most appropriate locations within established markets are taken up, and as wind power penetrates new markets, there is an increasing likelihood that proposed projects will encroach on sensitive landscapes and residential areas. This will present challenges for the industry, particularly due to the impact that public opinion can have upon the outcomes of planning decisions about specific projects. This article introduces the four key dimensions of the WindNet programme, which are helping to elucidate some of the socio-technical debates that will likely shape the future of the wind power sector. The article outlines studies investigating (1) public responses to cumulative landscape and visual impacts, (2) the auditory impact of wind power projects on human health, (3) the science of wind farm design and its implications for planning, and (4) the relevance of the democratic deficit explanation of the so-called social gap in wind farm siting. The outcomes of the research being conducted by WindNet stand to help reduce uncertainty within the planning process and assist in providing a more comprehensive and fairer assessment of the possible impacts associated with wind power project development.
Highlights
ÒWind power has established itself as a mainstream electricity generation source, and plays a central role in an increasing number of countriesÕ immediate and longer term energy plansÓ [1].1.1
Cumulative Landscape and Visual Impacts (CLVIs) refers to: ÒAdditional changes to landscape and visual amenity caused by the proposed development in conjunction with other developments or actions that have occurred in the past, present or are likely to occur in the foreseeable futureÓ [21]
We argue that there is a pressing need for better guidance on CLVI, due to the clear role that visual impact can have upon attitudes and action towards a proposed development per se [11] and due to the potential for opposition grounded in such concerns to grow over time as wind turbines become an increasingly common feature on the horizon [15,24]
Summary
Global demand for energy continues to grow and while the international market for wind energy shrank in 2013 for the first time in 20 years (see Figure 1), it is anticipated that this dip will only be temporary [2]. The status of wind power as a domestic, low carbon and increasingly affordable and competitive technology means that the intended expansion of operational wind power capacity remains a central component of renewable energy strategy in many established and emerging markets alike. Existing wind farms in established markets will, over time, be subject to ÒrepoweringÓ, where newer turbines and farm layouts replace older turbine farms and layouts. This will present challenges for the industry, due to the recognised impact that public opinion can have upon the outcomes of planning decisions about specific projects, in both on and offshore locations [3,4,5]
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