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Visual Impacts

Wind turbines next to water during a sunset
Visual appeal of existing landscape or seascape.

The addition of any novel structure can drastically alter a landscape or seascape. With regards to wind energy and marine renewable energy devices, some people appreciate their presence as they may attract tourism, while others dislike the new addition as an imposition on the natural environment. Land-based wind energy and offshore wind energy projects are more likely to impact aesthetics than marine renewable energy projects due to wind turbines’ heights, proximity to people, and visibility at greater distances. Conversely, marine renewable energy devices are typically lower profile, closer to the surface, or submerged underwater–all of which reduce their visibility and perceived visual impacts.

Marine and Wind Energy Environmental Documents

Tethys is a knowledge hub that contains documents on the environmental effects of wind and marine energy. The table below contains all of the documents in the Tethys Knowledge Base associated with Visual Impacts.

Total: 165

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Beyond yes and no: Clustering public perceptions of wave energy on the West Coast of the United States Stelmach, G., Boudet, H. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wave Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Orkney Islands Regional Marine Plan Orkney Islands Council Report Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Health & Safety, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Minimizing Levelized Cost of Energy and visual impact in Mediterranean offshore wind farms: A multi-objective optimization approach Barnabei, V.F., Conti, M., Ancora, T.C.M. Journal Article Wind Energy Human Dimensions, Visual Impacts
Environmental effects of marine renewable energy off-grid and micro-grid applications: a use case approach to assess existing knowledge and remaining uncertainties Hemery, L., Weicht, L., Copping, A. Conference Paper Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Assessment of Federal Offshore Wind Permitting and Environmental Review Processes Hartnett, M., Morandi, A., Reynolds, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Bats, Birds, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Visual Impacts
A case study on the feasibility and optimization of wind farm deployment in India Agarwal, L., Manisha, Arya, Y. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Noise Human Dimensions, Visual Impacts
Sea Space Analysis for Wave and Tidal Energy Lee, S., Strong, V., Anning, D. Report Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Wind farms through the lens of sustainability and circularity: Integrating environmental, economic, and social dimensions Arias, A., Moreira, M., Feijoo, G. Journal Article Wind Energy Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Life Cycle Assessment, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Sustainability Assessment of an Oscillating Water Column During the Design, Installation, Operation, and Disassembly Phases Gallego-Ramírez, C., López-Mosquera, J., Chica, E. Journal Article Marine Energy, Wave Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Multicriteria models provide enhanced insight for siting US offshore wind Santarromana, R., Abdulla, A., Morgan, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Mapping and characterizing the visual impacts of the existing US wind turbine fleet Gleason, M., Lopez, A., Rivers, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Human Dimensions, Visual Impacts
System impacts of wind energy developments: Key research challenges and opportunities McKenna, R., Lilliestam, J., Heinrichs, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
A Fuzzy Logic Technique for the Environmental Impact Assessment of Marine Renewable Energy Power Plants Flores, P., Mendoza, E. Journal Article Marine Energy, Ocean Current, OTEC, Tidal, Wave Attraction, Avoidance, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Visual Impacts
Focusing the view: Improved methods for assessing viewshed impacts of onshore wind turbines Dong, L., Lang, C., Parent, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Human Dimensions, Visual Impacts
Wind Energy: Technologies and Approaches to Help Address Environmental Effects United States Government Accountability Office Report Wind Energy Attraction, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
AB 525 Offshore Wind Strategic Plan Jones, M., Bartridge, J., Walker, L. Report Wind Energy Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Wind power infrastructure and perceived value of tourism experience in nature areas Prince, S., Chekalina, T., Peters, A. Report Wind Energy Human Dimensions, Recreation & Tourism, Visual Impacts
Global Review on Environmental Impacts of Onshore Wind Energy in the Field of Tension between Human Societies and Natural Systems Sander, L., Jung, C., Schindler, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Global Review on Environmental Impacts of Onshore Wind Energy and Their Implications for Forest Ecosystems Sander, L., Jung, C., Schindler, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind South Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Commercial Wind Lease OCS-A 0499 Sullivan, K. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Winds of Progress: An In-Depth Exploration of Offshore, Floating, and Onshore Wind Turbines as Cornerstones for Sustainable Energy Generation and Environmental Stewardship Afridi, S. K., Koondhar, M. A., Jamali, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Lighting Bats, Birds, Raptors, Seabirds, Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Whose Expertise and Whose Knowledge Matter? Influencing Wind Power Decisions in Norway Bonvik-Stone, D., Lykke, K.V. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Offshore Energy Development in Poland: Social and Economic Dimensions Chomác-Pierzecka, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
How do residents perceive energy-producing kites? Comparing the community acceptance of an airborne wind energy system and a wind farm in Germany Schmidt, H., Leschinger, V., Müller, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Offshore Wind Facts: Property Values and Visual Impacts Special Initiative on Offshore Wind Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Recreation & Tourism, Visual Impacts
The visual effect of wind turbines on property values is small and diminishing in space and time Guo, W., Wenz, L., Auffhammer, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Avian Monitoring with CCTV Cameras on Floating Wind Turbines Spoor, Equinor Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Noise Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Human Dimensions, Visual Impacts
Grand Challenges Revisited: Wind Energy Research Needs for a Global Energy Transition Veers, P., Dykes, K., Baranowski, R. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Noise Bats, Birds, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Do Wind Turbines Have Adverse Health Impacts? Krekel, C., Rode, J., Roth, A. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Noise Human Dimensions, Health & Safety, Visual Impacts
Integration criteria of offshore wind farms in the landscape: Viewpoints of local inhabitants Gkeka-Serpetsidaki, P., Tsoutsos, T. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Visual Impacts
Mapping The Way Forward: Spatial Data Inventory And Insights for Marine Planning In Puerto Rico Wright, J., Wilson, R., Wylie, M. Workshop Article Marine Energy, Wind Energy Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Recreation & Tourism, Visual Impacts
Place attachment and preferences for wind energy – A value-based approach Dugstad, A., Grimsrud, K., Kipperberg, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Construction and Operations Plan for Commercial Lease OCS Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, LLC Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement Bats, Birds, Fish, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Visual Impacts
Tourists are people too: Nonresidents’ values, beliefs, and acceptance of a nearshore wind farm Bidwell, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Getting to 30 GW by 2030: Visual preferences of coastal residents for offshore wind farms on the US East Coast Cranmer, A., Broughel, A., Ericson, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Interdisciplinary analysis of wind energy - a focus on France Kinani, K., Meunier, S., Vido, L. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change, Noise Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
SouthCoast Wind Draft Environmental Impact Statement BOEM Office of Renewable Energy Programs Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Recreation & Tourism, Visual Impacts
The Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms on Coastal Tourists’ Behaviors in South Korea Oh, C., Nam, J., Kim, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Human Dimensions, Visual Impacts
Great Lakes Wind Energy Feasibility Study Musial, W., Green, R., Courbis, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Bats, Birds, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Considerations on environmental, economic, and energy impacts of wind energy generation: Projections towards sustainability initiatives Msigwa, G., Ighalo, J., Yap, P-S. Journal Article Wind Energy Changes in Flow, Noise Birds, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts

Displaying 1 - 40 of 165 results