Optimizing windmill's location selection to reduce impacts on landscape

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to show that there can be found zones suitable for locating windmills where the visual impact on the landscape is minimized. The process is macroscopic in nature, top-down, in contrast to the currently established framework that examines permits in an ad hoc basis, generating a bottom-up dynamic. The proposed method is based on the concept of isoptics, that is zones of equal distance of observation. The method is applied on the island of Andros in the Aegean Sea. The results show that zones with varying impact on the landscape can indeed be identified. These zones could be exploited at the local level of planning in order to channel wind energy investments towards areas where as less as possible landscape degradation is caused.