Predicting the aesthetic impact of wind turbines and their influence on landscape value
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6093/1970-9870/12572Keywords:
InVEST model, Sustainable land management, Scenic quality, Renewable energy planning, Environmental assessmentAbstract
The growing reliance on renewable energy sources (RES) is a direct response to global challenges such as climate change and the limited availability of fossil fuels. Due to their low costs and scale suitability applications, wind turbines and solar panels are among the most widely adopted RES technologies for electricity generation. Their benefits are generally considered to outweigh the disadvantages. However, despite their image as green alternatives these technologies face opposition due to concerns about noise, visual impact, and possible negative effects on ecosystem services. Following the EU Green Deal and its goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 the adoption of green energy technologies requiring immediate implementation beyond legislation. The Basilicata region in Italy is among the most affected areas having the highest percentage of wind farms and experiencing notable territorial fragmentation due to their installation. This study aims to assess not only the environmental impacts of wind turbines but also their social and aesthetic effects. Expert-based assessments and spatial analyses will be conducted followed by the Scenic Quality Model within InVEST to evaluate visual impacts. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, planners, and researchers involved in sustainable land management and renewable energy planning.
Downloads
References
Bäckstrand, K. (2022). Towards a Climate-Neutral Union by 2050? The European Green Deal, Climate Law, and Green Recovery. In Routes to a Resilient European Union, 39–61. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93165-0_3
Bentivenga, M., Pescatore, E., Piccarreta, M., Gizzi, F. T., Masini, N. & Giano, S. I. (2024). Geoheritage and Geoconservation, from Theory to Practice: The Ghost Town of Craco (Matera District, Basilicata Region, Southern Italy). Sustainability, 16 (7), 2761. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072761
Bhatti, U. A., Bhatti, M. A., Tang, H., Syam, M. S., Awwad, E. M., Sharaf, M. & Ghadi, Y. Y. (2024). Global production patterns: Understanding the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture greening and climate variability. Environmental Research, 245, 118049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.118049
Bishop, I. D. (2002). Determination of Thresholds of Visual Impact: The Case of Wind Turbines. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 29 (5), 707–718. https://doi.org/10.1068/b12854
Bishop, I. D. & Miller, D. R. (2007). Visual assessment of off-shore wind turbines: The influence of distance, contrast, movement and social variables. Renewable Energy, 32 (5), 814-831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2006.03.009
Codemo, A., Favargiotti, S. & Albatici, R. (2021). Fostering the climate-energy transition with an integrated approach. TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 14 (1), 5-20. https://doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/7157
Dale, V. H., Kline, K. L., Parish, E. S. & Eichler, S. E. (2019). Engaging stakeholders to assess landscape sustainability. Landscape Ecology, 34 (6), 1199-1218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-019-00848-1
Dramstad, W. E., Tveit, M. S., Fjellstad, W. J. & Fry, G. L. A. (2006). Relationships between visual landscape preferences and map-based indicators of landscape structure. Landscape and Urban Planning, 78 (4), 465-474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2005.12.006
Gennatas, E. D., Friedman, J. H., Ungar, L. H., Pirracchio, R., Eaton, E., Reichmann, L. G., Interian, Y., Luna, J. M., Simone, C. B., Auerbach, A., Delgado, E., van der Laan, M. J., Solberg, T. D. & Valdes, G. (2020). Expert-augmented machine learning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117 (9), 4571-4577. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1906831117
Gizzi, F. T., Proto, M. & Potenza, M. R. (2019). The Basilicata region (Southern Italy): a natural and ‘human-built’ open-air laboratory for manifold studies. Research trends over the last 24 years (1994–2017). Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 10 (1), 433-464. https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2018.1527786
International Energy Agency, I. (2023). World Energy Outlook 2023. www.iea.org/terms
Ioannidis, R. & Koutsoyiannis, D. (2020). A review of land use, visibility and public perception of renewable energy in the context of landscape impact. Applied Energy, 276, 115367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115367
Italian Ministry Of Environment And Energy Security. (2022). Italy Fifth Biennial Report under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Italy Fifth Biennial Report.
Johnson, M. S., Adams, V. M. & Byrne, J. A. (2024). Understanding how landscape value and climate risk discourses can improve adaptation planning: Insights from Q-method. Environmental Science & Policy, 162, 103947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103947
Kishore, T. S., Kumar, P. U. & Ippili, V. (2025). Review of global sustainable solar energy policies: Significance and impact. Innovation and Green Development, 4 (2), 100224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.igd.2025.100224
Loc. (2013). REGIONE AUTONOMA SARDEGNA PROVINCIA DI SASSARI Comune di Nule IMPRESA INDIVIDUALE MANCA DANIELE RELAZIONE PAESAGGISTICA IMPIANTO DI PRODUZIONE DI ENERGIA DA FONTE RINNOVABILE EOLICA IN AMBITO AGRICOLO-Art. 12 L.R. 15 del 2010.
Lothian, A. (1999). Landscape and the philosophy of aesthetics: is landscape quality inherent in the landscape or in the eye of the beholder? Landscape and Urban Planning, 44 (4), 177–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(99)00019-5
Maitland, E. & Sammartino, A. (2015). Decision making and uncertainty: The role of heuristics and experience in assessing a politically hazardous environment. Strategic Management Journal, 36 (10), 1554–1578. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2297
Mazzola, E. (2025). The role of renewable energies in landscape transformation. Methodological proposal and application to the Valdagno case study . TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 18 (2), 203–218. https://doi.org/10.6093/1970-9870/11145
Medeiros, A., Fernandes, C., Gonçalves, J. F. & Farinha-Marques, P. (2021). Research trends on integrative landscape assessment using indicators – A systematic review. Ecological Indicators, 129, 107815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107815
Palermo, A., Chieffallo, L. & Virgilio, S. (2024). Re-generate resilience to deal with climate change. A data driven pathway for a liveable, efficient and safe city. TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, Special Issue 1(2024) 11-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.6093/1970-9870/9969
Pilogallo, A., Nolè, G., Amato, F., Saganeiti, L., Bentivenga, M., Palladino, G., Scorza, F., Murgante, B. & Casas, G. Las. (2019). Geotourism as a Specialization in the Territorial Context of the Basilicata Region (Southern Italy). Geoheritage, 11 (4), 1435–1445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-019-00396-9
Schüpbach, B., Roesch, A., Herzog, F., Szerencsits, E. & Walter, T. (2020). Development and application of indicators for visual landscape quality to include in life cycle sustainability assessment of Swiss agricultural farms. Ecological Indicators, 110, 105788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105788
Scorza, F., Pilogallo, A., Saganeiti, L., Murgante, B. & Pontrandolfi, P. (2020). Comparing the territorial performances of renewable energy sources’ plants with an integrated ecosystem services loss assessment: A case study from the Basilicata region (Italy). Sustainable Cities and Society, 56, 102082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102082
Solecka, I. (2019). The use of landscape value assessment in spatial planning and sustainable land management — a review. Landscape Research, 44 (8), 966-981. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2018.1520206
Solecka, I., Rinne, T., Caracciolo Martins, R., Kytta, M. & Albert, C. (2022). Important places in landscape – investigating the determinants of perceived landscape value in the suburban area of Wrocław, Poland. Landscape and Urban Planning, 218, 104289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104289
Wróżyński, R., Sojka, M. & Pyszny, K. (2016). The application of GIS and 3D graphic software to visual impact assessment of wind turbines. Renewable Energy, 96, 625-635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2016.05.016
Wüstenhagen, R., Wolsink, M. & Bürer, M. J. (2007). Social acceptance of renewable energy innovation: An introduction to the concept. Energy Policy, 35 (5), 2683-2691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2006.12.001
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Shiva Rahmani, Vito Pierri, Luigi Zuccaro, Beniamino Murgante
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
