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The large scale of wind projects and wind turbines' height result in a high level of visibility in the surrounding environment. Urban environments and tourism landscapes are visually sensitive viewpoints with sensitive receptors that need accurate visual impact assessments for the prediction of new projects' effects on the existing landscape settings. In this study, distance, visibility, receptors sensitivity and view percentage that are four important criteria of visual impact have been used for impact assessment of Manjil wind farm's visual effect in the urban environment and tourist destinations of Manjil City in Gilan Province of Iran. The main asset of this study is applying the multi-criteria decision-making method and also using the receptor sensitivity factor which helps to the detection of the most fragile areas based on the sensitivity of the potential significant observers and prepares the possibility of calculating a more accurate extent of the affected areas according to the impact magnitude. Significant viewpoints were determined based on the land use maps and field study and the calculated visibility and view percentage of the points combined by interpolation methods to prepare criteria layers. Receptor sensitivity map developed with classifying the land use data according to the observers' sensitivity. The multi-criteria decision-making method and determined weights were used to calculate the visual impact magnitude. Significant viewpoints of the tourist destinations and buildings of the study area were affected by the high visual impact. Comparison of the calculated results from utilized techniques shows 84.73% similarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifts from fossil fuels toward renewable energy (RE) introduce profound changes to landscapes, including visual impacts that are often investigated during environmental and social impact assessment. Moreover, RE transitions are among many visual changes happening in rural areas that are increasingly serving amenity functions and becoming destinations for wide ranges of users. This diversity introduces complexities during infrastructure siting discussions. Emerging grape and wine production landscapes in Canada serve amenity and production purposes, and this study was designed to understand the impacts of RE development using case studies of solar panels and wind turbines in two vineyard landscapes in Ontario (ON) and British Columbia (BC). We applied novel mixed methods, including content analysis and saliency-based visual impact analysis, to textual and image-based representations posted on Instagram of those vineyards. In this case, the addition of low-density RE infrastructures did not seem to disturb the vineyard experience. The technique presented can be applied in a wide range of infrastructure siting contexts, both before and after construction, but requires additional research and calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to a low carbon society is dependent on renewable energy-based electrification. Nevertheless, energy programs have resulted in growing societal polarization in several regions. Therefore, around the globe, government and legislative authorities at the local, regional, national, and international levels are highly concerned about the environmental impacts and risk factors that influence the energy paradigm. Thus, to minimize and/or limit the environmental insecurity issues, the world needs swift and effective actions to secure the climate for a better tomorrow. Moreover, there is a dire need to look for new energy alternatives, along with reducing the complete dependence on petro-based energy sources. Keeping this burning issue in mind, herein, an effort has been made to present the potential of several renewable energy sources, including wind-based renewable energy, solar-based renewable energy, hydro-based renewable energy, and biomass-based renewable energy. Following a brief introduction of energy-related problems and opportunities, a comparative overview is given to renewable vs. non-renewable energy sources. Then, several renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, hydro, and biomass, along with the worldwide energy capacity of each energy source are given with suitable examples and statistics. Finally, risk factors, concluding remarks, and future guidelines are discussed towards the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, owing to the long-span adverse impact of utilizing petrochemicals and economic crises, wind energy has stood-up as a cost-effective source of energy. It endorsed as having the emission-free ability, green and is also subsidies by states support and credits benefits for taxes. It has several positive impacts, such as (i) environmental (ii) social (iii) economic and (iv) cultural impacts. To make the wind farms acceptable to the public, a major hurdle that must be overcome, as apart from withstanding both the cost pressures. People are now more aware of the risks associated with climate change; the problem of wind turbines is particularly related to deforestation/land use and migration route. Such challenges need to be properly addressed to ensure technology development to provide ongoing political and public support. In this paper, the development of wind energy atlas is summarized with particular reference to its positive impacts (clean and green) and negative impacts, namely noise, imagery, deforestation, and land erosion. Practical solutions in wind farms are also discussed with suitable examples. The given points need to be included in the data that harmonizes wind energy with wildlife conservation, such as (i) engineers/programmers use turbines developed to allow central collisions; (ii) decisions and other relevant aspects, deadlines, Including a comparison of bird mortality before and after construction; (iii) using improved computational dynamics and other advanced technologies to further evaluate the impact of turbine noise on the location of predators in the wild to help minimize the impact of this clean and green energy. • Positive impact and challenges of renewable wind energy paradigms are reviewed. • Wind energy is an important replacement to conventional fossil-based fuel resources. • The technological paradigm for the development of wind energy technology is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While renewable energy sources enjoy high public support, projects are rarely implemented without opposition. The term energy landscapes indicates that landscape change is amongst the most frequent issues. This study researched lay people's perceptions of landscapes changed by solar power plants. The first objective was to discover how likely solar power plants are to be noticed in the landscape. The second objective was to determine the associations observers make when spotting a solar power plant. The data was collected by participatory photography and focus groups. Participants visited six solar power plants. The results show that they are highly noticeable and contentious objects. Participants who understood the landscape as a rural idyll disapproved of solar power plants, while for those who perceived the landscape through a utilitarian narrative, the (mis)fit of the solar power plant depended on its relation to the surrounding landscape structure. Landscape degradation was contrasted with low-carbon energy and developmental benefits. The results provide evidence on the interdependence of visual and non-visual factors and suggest improvements in planning and design of solar power plants. While the method gives a rich in-depth insight into landscape perception, it is also context dependent and needs further research to obtain more generalisable results. • A novel in situ method shows photovoltaics are highly noticeable landscape elements. • Laypeople mostly contrast energy benefits with landscape degradation. • Mimicking landscape structure improves power plant's integration with the landscape. • Issues exposed by laypeople correspond well with impacts proposed by experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.

This review describes the infrastructural elements of the socio-technical system of power supply based on renewables and the role of landscape concerns in decision-making about emerging ‘intelligent grids’. The considerable land areas required for energy infrastructure call for sizable ‘distributed generation’ close to energy consumption. Securing community acceptance of renewables’ infrastructure, perceived impacts on the community, and ‘landscape justice’ requires two types of co-production: in power supply and in making space available. With co-production, landscape issues are prominent, for some options dominant. However, ‘objectification’ of landscape, such as the use of ‘visibility’ as proxy for ‘visual impact’, is part of lingering centralised and hierarchical approaches to the deployment of renewables. Institutional tendencies of centralisation and hierarchy, in power supply management as well as in siting, should be replaced by co-production, as follows from common pool resources theory. Co-production is the key to respecting landscape values, furthering justice, and achieving community acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much is currently being studied on the negative visual impact associated to the installation of large wind turbines or photovoltaic farms. However, methodologies for quantitatively assessing landscape impact are scarce. In this work we used electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings to investigate the brain activity of 14 human volunteers when looking at the same landscapes with and without wind turbines, solar panels and nuclear power plants. Our results showed no significant differences for landscapes with solar power systems or without them, and the same happened for wind turbines, what was in agreement with their subjective scores. However, there were clear and significant differences when looking at landscapes with and without nuclear power plants. These differences were more pronounced around a time window of 376–407 msec and showed a clear right lateralization for the pictures containing nuclear power plants. Although more studies are still needed, these results suggest that EEG recordings can be a useful procedure for measuring visual impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social acceptance for wind turbines is variable, providing a challenge to the implementation of this energy source. Psychological research could contribute to the science of climate change. Here we focus on the emotional responses to the visual impact of wind turbines on the landscape, a factor which dominates attitudes towards this technology. Participants in the laboratory viewed images of turbines and other constructions (churches, pylons and power-plants) against rural scenes, and provided psychophysiological and self-report measures of their emotional reactions. We hypothesised that the emotional response to wind turbines would be more negative and intense than to control objects, and that this difference would be accentuated for turbine opponents. As predicted, the psychophysiological response to turbines was stronger than the response to churches, but did not differ from that of other industrial constructions. In contrast with predictions, turbines were rated as less aversive and more calming compared with other industrial constructions, and equivalent to churches. Supporters and non-supporters did not differ significantly from each other. We discuss how a methodology using photo manipulations and emotional self-assessments can help estimate the emotional reaction to the visual impact on the landscape at the planning stage for new wind turbine applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research relating to visual impact of wind turbines (WTs) affirms this to be an essential parameter for public acceptance in most cases as well as for the planning process and permitting of planned wind farms. This study brings new findings about the impact of two crucial factors: numbers of WTs (1–25) visible and distances of WTs (0.75–15 km) from the observer (e.g. from residential buildings, landmarks, observation points). Photographs of three aesthetically varying landscapes with various numbers of WTs (Vestas V90, height 105 m, rotor diameter 90 m) at various distances were evaluated in terms of visual preferences. The results show significant effect from the aesthetic value of a given landscape on the impact of both tested factors. An important finding is that the landscape with the highest aesthetic quality initially was evaluated to be the absolute worst after the addition of WTs and vice versa. Increasing numbers of WTs in the least attractive landscape had less visual impact than did doing so in the two more attractive landscapes. This helps explain strong public opposition to locating WTs in aesthetically valuable landscapes and their greater acceptance in less-attractive landscapes. Increasing stepwise from 1 to 25 WTs within a given landscape progressively decreased visual preferences, although the cumulative effect of a higher number of WTs was not confirmed. We also established threshold distances after which the negative visual impact of a WT disappeared (10 km for the most attractive landscape, 5 km for the least attractive one). Based on these findings, visibility zones were proposed for practical assessment of WTs’ visual impact. The study’s results can make a substantial contribution towards reducing negative visual impact in WT planning and thus achieving greater public acceptance of these devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ambitious Net Zero aspirations of Great Britain (GB) require massive and rapid developments of Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) technologies. GB possesses substantial resources for these technologies, but questions remain about which VRE should be exploited where. This study develops a transferable methodology to explore the trade-offs between landscape impact, land use competition and resource quality for onshore wind as well as ground- and roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) systems for the first time across GB. These trade-offs constrain the technical and economic potentials for these technologies at the Local Authority level. Our approach combines techno-economic and geospatial analyses with crowd-sourced 'scenicness' data to quantify landscape aesthetics. Despite strong correlations between scenicness and planning application outcomes for onshore wind, no such relationship exists for ground-mounted PV. The innovative method for rooftop-PV assessment combines bottom-up analysis of four cities with a top-down approach at the national level. The results show large technical potentials that are strongly constrained by both landscape and land use aspects. This equates to about 1324 TWh of onshore wind, 153 TWh of rooftop PV and 1200–7093 TWh ground-mounted PV, depending on scenario. We conclude with five recommendations that focus around aligning energy and planning policies for VRE technologies across multiple scales and governance arenas. • Analyse trade-offs between onshore Variable Renewable Energy potential in GB. • Crowd-sourced scenicness database identifies valuable landscapes. • Hybrid method for rooftop PV assessment with bottom-up and top-down elements. • Large technical potentials are strongly constrained by land competitions. • Energy and planning policies should be aligned to reflect this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As renewable energy projects have gradually been introduced in various forms and in many places around the world, public skepticism on these developments has emerged and siting decisions have, in several cases, been determined by intense conflicts and debate. In this context, the present study focuses on the assessment of the levels of public acceptability for existing and new renewable energy projects, namely wind farms, small hydro and photovoltaics (PVs), in a representative region of Southern Greece. A point of particular interest in this survey is the adverse environmental conditions and poor air quality existing in the area under investigation, resulting from the long-term operation of a lignite-based thermal power station. A postal, three-part survey has been conducted based on a representative sample of local inhabitants. According to the results obtained, high levels of acceptability for existing and new projects have been encountered for all technologies examined. Interestingly, better results concerned PV applications, with the positive trend towards new projects being illustrated by the high percentage of about 85%. Similarly, wind and hydro energy applications demonstrate high acceptability of the order of 80%. Furthermore, local habitants'' experience on already operating renewable energy projects in the region has also designated their “tolerance” on the main environmental impacts of these technologies (visual, noise, land occupation etc.). However, this survey also reveals a specific minority of people that are opposed to renewable energy applications, either disregarding any environmental, social and financial benefits or just weighing benefits less heavily than the reasons of opposition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Greece has adopted measures to support renewable energy sources ensuring the simplification of the licensing procedures. A regulatory framework is presented for the determination of the appropriate areas and the constraints for the installation of renewable energy projects, categorised by activity (wind farms, small hydroelectric projects, photovoltaic parks), based on the available national data. The sites that are infeasible for installation are defined. Regarding the spatial planning of wind farms, the national territory is divided into major categories based on the exploitable wind potential and particular spatial and environmental characteristics. Criteria are set for the installation of wind farms in the mainland and for their integration into the landscape in such a way that the visual effect has the least possible impact. The cases of installation at inhabited islands and marine areas are also reported. Regarding the spatial planning of Small Hydroelectric Projects, the water districts with exploitable hydraulic potential and restrictions concerning the capacity of the water stream are defined. Criteria are set for the installation of these projects in such a way that the environmental burden is low, taking into account technical and geological constraints. Privileged areas for the installation of biomass/biogas and geothermal energy projects are also reported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Wind energy represents one of the most important renewable resources. Wind energy is a clean, renewable and its benefits are considered greater than the disadvantages. However, even though wind farms represent environmentally friendly projects, they frequently generate public resistance. One of the main disadvantages of wind farm construction projects is their poor aesthetic integration into the landscape. On the other hand, landscape impact of wind farms could be minimised if the visual impact is previously evaluated. As regards with the European legislation, the procedure of environmental impact assessment study is necessary before a wind farm project could be established. In contrast, there is not an objective methodology to assess the visual impact of wind farms. The aim of this work was to develop a methodology to predict and evaluate, before its construction, the visual impact of wind farms, taking into account the visualscape from different observation points. Proposed methodology could help to determine and evaluate the best location for new wind farm projects. Moreover, this method could be used as a consulting tool for public organization and private institutions, being quick, concise and clear. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Among the technologies of exploitation of renewable energy sources, solar photovoltaic plants and wind power plants are the ones who had the highest growth rate and in the future may contribute substantially to meeting energy demand and requests for production of carbon-free energy. However, it was also shown that even though there is a considerable support for policies promoting renewable energy at a general level, local communities often perceive the installation of systems powered by renewable sources such as limiting the quality of life, or impacting on the natural and built landscape. Consequently, the studies concerning the procedures for assessing the territorial and landscape impacts of this type of systems have recently seen a remarkable development. If an extensive scientific literature is now available regarding the assessment of visual impact of wind turbines, with applications in several countries, there are few studies, theoretical or applied, dealing with the visual impact of photovoltaic plants, which represent, also for their physical size, an important form of transformation of the agricultural and forestry land. As part of studies conducted by the authors regarding the territorial impacts of photovoltaic plant, in this paper, a procedure to evaluate the visual impact of a PV plant based on a quantitative indicator and that was published in the same journal (vol. 13, no. 5, p. 986–99) is adopted and discussed with reference to the application on some case studies. As a result, some modifications to the procedure are presented and a discussion on how this procedure may be used and integrated into the administrative requirements of large and small scale PV plants developments is carried out. From the results, it can be derived that such a procedure can be effectively used provided that a regulatory framework is set by the local authority that carries out the authorizaion procedures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The production of energy from renewable sources requires a significantly larger use of the territory compared with conventional (fossil and nuclear) sources. For large penetrations of renewable technologies, such as wind power, the overall visual impact at the national level can be substantial, and may prompt public reaction. This study develops a methodology for the assessment of the visual impact that can be used to measure and report the level of impact caused by several renewable technologies (wind farms, solar photovoltaic plants or solar thermal ones), both at the local and regional (e.g. national) scales. Applications are shown to several large-scale, hypothetical scenarios of wind and solar-energy penetration in Spain, and also to the vicinity of an actual, single wind farm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]