Wind farms vs. neighbors - Solar, Wind and Land: Conflicts in Renewable Energy Development - page 22

project advocates. Seeing few personal benefits from these projects and
potentially viewing them as a threat to their relative social position and
familiar way of life, some such landowners may even endeavor to hinder
wind energy development for that reason. Recognizing that arguments
about the general unfairness of their neighbors' new financial windfall are
not likely to succeed, landowners like the couple are more likely to seek out
other, more acceptable reasons to oppose wind farms in their communities.
As this topic illustrates, a wide range of possible objections to wind
energy projects exist, any one of which may be legitimate cause for limiting
such development in certain contexts. However, when opposition allegedly
based on aesthetic concerns, flicker effects, or other common complaints is
actually driven by social or economic factors, developers and policymakers
may be able to take steps to save a worthwhile project.
In any case, the first step is to determine whether a neighbor's particular
objections to a proposed wind farm are valid. Although such inquiries are
inherently fact-specific, the following sections provide basic background
information on some of the most common neighbor-based complaints
about wind energy. Many of these sections also mention some general strat-
egies that developers and legislators may consider as they seek to address
these problems.
Aesthetic objections to wind energy
Perhaps the most frequent objection that wind energy developers encounter
is the concern that a wind farm could compromise the pristine visual beauty
of an area. Numerous potential wind energy projects have been abandoned
or significantly altered due to apprehensions over visual impacts, and some
local governments have even cited viewshed protection as the primary
reason for banning commercial wind energy development altogether in
their jurisdictions. Whether a complete prohibition of wind farms based
on view impacts is warranted in any particular locale is very difficult to
assess, given that aesthetic preferences are inherently subjective and hard
to measure. However, as evidenced by the ever-evolving nature of fashion
trends, individuals' opinions about what is beautiful and what is ugly can
change over relatively short periods of time. For commercial wind energy
development to continue its rapid growth rate, it will eventually need to
move closer to population centers where aesthetic issues will only become
more pronounced. Effectively managing these concerns and persuading
more of the world to accept the presence of these massive structures in the
skyline will be ever more crucial to the long-term growth of wind as an
energy source in the next century.
Without question, the gargantuan wind turbines installed in today's
commercial wind farms can materially alter a landscape's appearance.
Modern utility-scale wind turbines commonly exceed 400 feet in height,
towering well above any other buildings or structures in their vicinities and