There has never been a multi-site study of the match between the impact of a wind farm as stated in the Environmental Assessment during the planning process and the actual impact once the wind farm is operational.
The project will inform the Scottish Government on the need for guidance to developers of wind farms on how they should measure the potential impacts of their wind farms, and how they should communicate this to planning authorities and those likely to be affected.
This study was instigated in part because of lobbying by SAS, and we are delighted to be part of the Steering Group overseeing it.
The wind farm sites selected for study are:
Dalswinton, Dumfries and Galloway
Neilston, East Renfrewshire
FMC Technologies, Dunfermline Fife
Little Raith Farm, Fife
Achany, Highland
Baillie, Highland
Griffin, Perth and Kinross
Drone Hill, Scottish Borders
Hadyard Hill, South Ayrshire
West Knock Farm, Aberdeenshire
http://www.climatexchange.org.uk/reducing-emissions/wind-farm-impacts-study/
We would like to thank everyone who suggested wind farm sites for inclusion.
The next thing that will happen is that residents who live near some of these sites will be contacted for information about the visual, noise and shadow flicker impacts they have suffered, and we would encourage anyone approached to co-operate as fully as possible with the researchers.
Any enquiries about the study should be directed in the first instance to Matt Ogston, the CXC manager of the project who is in charge of communications. His email is matt.ogston@ed.ac.uk
1 Comment
Mike Hulme · April 16, 2014 at 8:50 am
It is understood that Aberdeenshire Council has recently served a noise abatement notice on West Knock Farm which is one of the wind farms specifically chosen for the study. The abatement notice apparently requires the ending of Excess Amplitude Modulation (EAM) but it’s understood the developer is contesting the requirement. Does anyone have information on what specific grounds the developer is contesting the abatement notice?