Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
development. Wind power potential must be measured, prospective sites
must be strategically selected, and networks must be established to encour-
age R&D, support technology transfer, and nurture collaboration between
stakeholders. Failure to provide such a foundation sows the seeds of emer-
gent problems when the program is actually launched. Denmark's methodi-
cal approach to planning for success is exemplary of the types of initiatives
that must be formulated. For example, the research networks and com-
munities which formed around the Risø Laboratories were instrumental in
helping new wind turbine manufacturers to improve designs in a cost efec-
tive manner.
Once a foundation has been established, wind power development strate-
gies can shift focus to capacity expansion. During the capacity expansion
stage, wind turbine manufacturers, wind farm developers, and stakeholders
in communities that are targeted for wind power development face steep
learning curves that merit strategic attention.
In wind turbine manufacturing, aspiring domestic irms struggle to reine
the technology to compete with more experienced foreign wind turbine
manufacturers. herefore, manufacturers require R&D seed support and
access to advanced technological knowledge and may in some cases need
to have market protection policies put in place in order to help them gain a
market foothold. Wind turbine manufacturing irms in Denmark and China
have beneited signiicantly from such policies.
Wind farm developers at the capacity expansion stage are simultane-
ously learning how to interact efectively with community stakeholders
and struggling to improve strategies for wind park development in order
to improve proitability. Policies designed to encourage applied knowledge
transfer in developing sites and mechanisms designed to enhance collabora-
tion between developers and community stakeholders can go a long way to
fostering better wind power projects. Both Denmark and Germany seeded
the collaborative process by establishing policies that encouraged commu-
nity members to inancially participate in wind power projects.
Community stakeholders also face a steep learning curve at the capacity
expansion stage. Many community members are introduced to the pros-
pect of their community hosting a wind farm without the beneit of applied
experience. Consequently, they tend to harbor misperceptions concerning
the pros and cons of wind farms. hen, once a wind farm is established,
misperceptions are dispelled and new concerns emerge. Policies that are
designed to help community stakeholders understand the main advan-
tages and disadvantages of wind power development help attenuate dis-
sonance caused by a gap between expectations and reality. In the United
States, Germany, and Denmark, this has been achieved through open public
