Wind power planning,landscapes and publics

Renewable energy is currently undergoing a renaissance. Efforts to achieve national targets that have announced forward invariably impact on the appearance of the physical landscape, and raise issues of spatial planning. Proponents of renewable energy—sometimes, planners themselves—have often taken the support of environmental NGOs and the wider public for granted, as they perceive renewable energy facilities to be ‘clean’, ‘green’ and a continuation of traditional technologies such as wind and water mills. But whilst large sections of the population in developed countries are indeed in principle in favour of renewables, in practice proposed facilities have often given rise to considerable public concerns.