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4 Impacts of Wind-Energy Development on Humans
Pages 140-179

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From page 140...
... The project's potential for negative impacts as well as benefits, and the fact that different people have different values as well as different levels of sensitivity, are important aspects of impact assessment. This chapter addresses some key potential human impacts, positive and negative, of wind-energy projects on people in surrounding areas.
From page 141...
... . Unfortunately, few regulatory review processes adequately address aesthetic issues, and far fewer address the unique aesthetic issues associated with wind-energy projects in a rational manner.
From page 142...
... , there are many people who find wind turbines to
From page 143...
... Modern wind turbines are relatively new to the United States. Some of the early projects were built in remote areas, but increasingly, they are being built in or proposed for areas that are close to residential and recreational uses, and often in areas never before considered for industrial land uses.
From page 144...
... The National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC) provides general outlines of aesthetic issues and some examples of local ordinances addressing wind-energy projects.
From page 145...
... Even with detailed plans, these methods often fall short of providing meaningful guidance for evaluating the visual impacts of projects such as wind-energy facilities. Most wind-energy projects are proposed on private land where there is far less guidance, especially with respect to evaluating aesthetic impacts.
From page 146...
... An Assessment Process for Evaluating the Visual Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects The following steps summarize a process for moving from collecting measurable and observable information about visibility and landscape characteristics to analyzing the significance and importance of the visual resources involved and the effects of the proposed project on the landscape character and scenic resources of the surrounding area. Finally and most important, this process helps to inform the regulatory process about whether a proposed project is acceptable as designed, potentially acceptable with appropriate mitigation techniques, or unacceptable.
From page 147...
... . These include public roads, recreation areas, trails, wilderness and natural areas, historic sites, village centers, and other important scenic or cultural features identified in planning documents or in public meetings.
From page 148...
... Mitigation Techniques A well-designed project will incorporate a number of techniques into the planning and design of the project to minimize visual impacts, including sensitive siting and ensuring that project infrastructure is well screened from view. Establishing "Best Practice" Guidelines can help ensure that minimum standards are met before project permit applications are submitted.
From page 149...
... Such standards can be developed at the community, county, region, or state level. Guidelines for Protecting Scenic Resources Planning and Siting Guidelines Siting guidelines that prospectively identify suitable and unsuitable locations for wind-energy projects have been considered in many regions.
From page 150...
... • Statewide policies that address the relationship between the development of wind energy and the protection of valuable scenic resources. Guidelines for Evaluating Cumulative Aesthetic Impacts While wind-energy development is relatively new in the United States, the potential for cumulative aesthetic impacts resulting either from several new projects in a particular region or from expansion of existing projects is likely to become an issue that may need to be addressed at local, regional, and state levels.
From page 151...
... • In evaluating the aesthetic impacts of wind-energy projects, the discussion should focus not on whether people find wind-energy projects attractive but on the characteristics of the landscapes in which the projects will be located; the particular landscape features that contribute to scenic quality; the relative sensitivity of viewing areas; and the degree of degradation that would result to valued scenic resources, especially documented scenic values. • Computerized viewshed analyses provide useful information about potential project visibility but are best used as the basis for conducting field investigations.
From page 152...
... A project that dominates views throughout a region is more likely to have aesthetic impacts judged unacceptable than one that permits other scenic or natural views to remain unimpaired throughout the region. If residences, especially those not directly benefiting from a proposed project, are surrounded by wind turbines, adverse aesthetic impacts are likely to be reported.
From page 153...
... Most wind projects to date have been located on or proposed for private land. Policies vary regarding public use around wind turbines on both private and public lands.
From page 154...
... Some developers conduct recreation surveys to determine recreational uses in the study area and attitudes of users toward the development of wind-energy projects. Recreational concerns and interests are often identified in informal meetings and at public hearings.
From page 155...
... A recent and currently unresolved case in Vermont concerned a historic Civilian Conservation Corps bath-house that was documented as having been sited to take advantage of scenic views down a lake where a proposed wind-energy facility would be visible. Unlike 3 The proposed Global Harvest Wind Project was later withdrawn.
From page 156...
... State Offices of Historic Preservation, along with local historical societies, provide detailed information on historic sites and properties, and usually are involved in the review of proposed wind-energy projects. State archaeologists generally recommend specific guidelines for archaeological surveys, depending on the site involved.
From page 157...
... With regard to the design of a wind-energy project, one is generally interested in assessing whether the additional noise generated by the wind turbines (relative to the ambient noise) might cause annoyance or a hazard to human health and well-being.
From page 158...
... Although there are opposing views on the subject, it has recently been stated (Pierpont 2006) that "some people feel disturbing amounts of vibration or pulsation from wind turbines, and can
From page 159...
... Mitigation Measures and Standards Noise produced by wind turbines generally is not a major concern for humans beyond a half-mile or so because various measures to reduce noise have been implemented in the design of modern turbines. The mechanical sound emanating from rotating machinery can be controlled by sound-isolating techniques.
From page 160...
... Shadow Flicker As the blades of a wind turbine rotate in sunny conditions, they cast moving shadows on the ground resulting in alternating changes in light intensity. This phenomenon is termed shadow flicker.
From page 161...
... . Using results presented in the form of shadow flicker maps and distributions, one can determine suitable locations for wind turbines.
From page 162...
... The power of eminent domain is not available to non-government wind-energy developers. Assessment According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA 2006f)
From page 163...
... . These included: • Public disclosure of energy production from wind turbines: In order to facilitate transparency for production-based payments, increase public knowledge about the wind resource, and provide information to the state on the economic contribution of wind power.
From page 164...
... In contrast, a 2005 analysis by the Power Plant Research Program of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources concerning a proposed wind energy facility -- the Roth Rock facility in Garrett County, Maryland -- concluded that the facility would have an uncertain impact on the property values of neighboring properties. It reached this conclusion after reviewing the 2003 REEP study as well as a 2004 study in the United Kingdom by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
From page 165...
... Employment and Secondary Economic Effects A wind-energy project is a source of jobs throughout its life cycle: for parts manufacturers and for researchers seeking to improve wind-turbine performance; for workers who transport and construct wind turbines and related infrastructure; for workers employed in the operation and maintenance of turbines, transmission lines, etc.; and for workers involved in project decommissioning. The number, skill and pay level, and location of the jobs will vary depending upon the scale, location, and stage of the project.
From page 166...
... Assessment According to the AWEA's "Wind Energy and Economic Development: Building Sustainable Jobs and Communities," the European Wind Energy Association has estimated that in total, every MW of installed wind capacity directly and indirectly creates about 60 person-years of employment and 15 to 19 jobs. The fact sheet notes that the rate of job creation will decline as the industry grows and is able to take advantage of economies of scale (AWEA 2006f)
From page 167...
... This model, which was developed for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) , is called JEDI (Jobs and Economic Development Impacts)
From page 168...
... • The evaluation should consider relative impacts on the economy at a level appropriate to the scope of the study. • For both wind development and the displaced alternative, the evaluation should consider how new labor, material, and services would be supplied.
From page 169...
... In relation to wind turbines, two issues are relevant: (1) possible passive interference of the wind turbines with existing radio or TV stations, and (2)
From page 170...
... . The British Broadcasting Corporation has issued recommendations based on a simple concept for calculating the geometry associated with reflected signals from wind turbines and how directional receiving aerials can provide rejection of the unwanted signals (BBC 2006)
From page 171...
... The mere movement of the receiver can ensure that wind turbines will have a very minimal effect, if any, on communication quality. Radar The potential for interference of wind turbines with radar is only partially understood.
From page 172...
... . • The key factors influencing the effect of wind-energy facilities on radar are spacing of wind turbines within a facility, which needs to be considered in the context of the radar cross-range and down-range resolutions.
From page 173...
... Excellent methods exist for identifying the scenic resource values of a site and its surroundings, and they should be the basis for visual impact assessments of proposed projects. Tools are available for understanding project visibility and appearance as well as the landscape characteristics that contribute to scenic quality.
From page 174...
... The experience of certain historic or sacred sites or landscapes can also be indirectly affected by wind-energy projects, especially if particular qualities of the surrounding landscape have been documented as important to the experience, interpretation, and significance of the proximate historic or sacred site. Greater clarity is needed about how such situations should be evaluated.
From page 175...
... • Guidelines are needed concerning distances at which recreational activities can occur safely around wind turbines. • Policy makers and decision makers need better guidance from historic-preservation experts and others concerning the methods for evaluating the effects of wind-energy projects on historic, sacred, and archeological resources.
From page 176...
... • Pre-construction noise surveys should be conducted to determine pre-project background noise levels and to determine later on what, if any, changes the wind project brought about. • If regulatory threshold levels of noise are in place, a minimum distance between any of the wind turbines in the project and the nearest residence should be maintained so as to reduce the sound to the prescribed threshold.
From page 177...
... Current Best Practices The guidelines referred to in the text -- of Windustry, regarding leasing and easement arrangements; and of the NWCC, regarding assessments of economic development impacts of wind power -- contain good advice and are examples of current standards for best practices. In addition, best practices include: • Gathering as much "hard" information as possible: the terms of the lease and easement arrangements; the type, pay scale, and duration of jobs that are likely to be generated for local workers; the taxes that the project will directly generate; and the known public costs that it will entail.
From page 178...
... Electromagnetic Interference With the exception of radar, the main EMI effects of wind-energy projects are well understood. Wind turbines have the potential to cause interference to television broadcasts, while the audio parts of TV broadcasts are less susceptible to interference.
From page 179...
... Chapter 5 elaborates on processes for planning and evaluating wind-energy projects and for public involvement in these processes. Finally, the text of this chapter describes many specific questions to be asked and issues to be considered in assessing various aspects of the effects of wind-energy projects on humans, especially concerning aesthetic impacts, and those questions and issues should be covered in assessments and regulatory reviews of wind-energy projects.


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