Potential visual impact on coastal lands has emerged as a major concern in the development of offshore wind facilities in the United States and Europe. Optimal siting of offshore facilities requires accurate knowledge of the relationship between distance and the visibility of wind turbines. Past assessments of offshore wind turbine visibility were based on smaller turbines and facilities in use at the time and underestimate visibility for current projects, which use more and larger larger turbines. This study is a preliminary assessment of the visibility of offshore wind facilities in the United Kingdom. Study objectives included identifying the maximum distances the facilities could be seen in both daytime and nighttime views and assessing the effect of distance on visual contrasts associated with the facilities. Results showed that small to moderately sized facilities were visible to the unaided eye at distances greater than 42 km [26 miles (mi)], with turbine blade movement visible up to 39 km (24 mi). At night, aerial hazard navigation lighting was visible at distances greater than 39 km (24 mi). The observed wind facilities were judged to be a major focus of visual attention at distances up to 16 km (10 mi), were noticeable to casual observers at distances of almost 29 km (18 mi), and were visible with extended or concentrated viewing at distances beyond 40 km (25 mi). Environmental Practice 15: 33-49 (2013) T he Energy Policy Act of 2005 provided the United States~US! Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management with the authority to issueleases for renewable energy facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf. In 2009, the bureau released a new regulatory framework for reviewing and approving proposed offshore wind projects. In 2010, the department announced the Smart from the Start initiative to facilitate offshore wind development in federal waters by streamlining the approval process for proposed projects, implementing a leasing framework that includes identification of wind energy areas along the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf, and moving aggressively to process offshore transmission applications~US Department of the Interior, 2010a!. These actions demonstrate the federal government's commitment to promoting and accelerating commercial US offshore wind development. Many states are also actively seeking to encourage offshore wind development in waters under their jurisdiction. Although no utility-scale offshore wind facilities are currently located in US federal or state waters, development proposals have been submitted in more than 10 states, and active projects exist in 4~OffshoreWind.net, 2010!.The large-scale deployment of offshore renewable energy seems inevitable; equally inevitable is that some offshore wind projects will face significant public opposition because of potential visual impacts. As the US begins largescale deployment of offshore wind energy facilities, an important challenge developers and regulators will face is to minimize potential visual impacts to important coa...
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