The installation of wind turbines in island environments can boost energy independence, but it often faces local opposition due to, among other factors, visual impact. On islands like Paros (Greece), where tourism relies heavily on traditional landscapes, selecting low-impact locations for turbines is crucial. Current environmental assessments usually rely on a binary visibility model (turbines are either visible or not), which limits their accuracy.
This study presents a reproducible method using ArcGIS Pro to calculate Angular Distance (AD), an objective metric that considers both the visible part of a turbine and its distance from the observer, accounting for terrain and vegetation. Furthermore, the Cumulative Objective Visual Impact (COVI), which is the sum of all AD values, offers a broader perspective on the visual effect of multiple wind turbines.
Applied to a 31-turbine project, this method helped identify two optimal clusters (of 12 and 7 turbines) with the lowest visual impact on the surrounding areas and population centers.
These results can provide a baseline for perception studies to determine local acceptance thresholds, thereby improving planning and community engagement.
Cita
Barral, M.Á., Prados, M.J., Ruiz, A., Loukogeogaki, E., & Charalampopoulou, V. (2026). Evaluación del impacto visual de proyectos eólicos en islas turísticas: La elección del mal menor en la isla de Paros (Grecia). En A. Nieto Masot, G. Cárdenas Alonso, & Á. Engelmo Moriche (Eds.), XXIX Congreso de la Asociación Española de Geografía. Desafíos de la Geografía ante el Cambio Global. 50 años de la Asociación Española de Geografía (Núm. 1, pp. 196-203). Universidad de Extremadura. https://doi.org/10.17398/3101-7177.1.2145
