Wind Turbine Landform
Landform is a key landscape characteristic, affecting whether it is rugged, flat, undulating or rolling, upland or lowland. In flat landscapes, any undulations tend to become accentuated so that even low hills appear substantial.
It is very difficult to design a wind farm upon a variable landform, such as undulating, rugged moorland or hills, without presenting a confusing image. This is because the wind turbines will be seen from different directions, at varying elevations and spacing, and against varying backdrops. To avoid this effect, it is generally preferable for wind turbines to be grouped on the most level part of a site so the development appears more cohesive, rather than as a poorly related group of turbines.
It is important to site and design a wind farm so that it appears visually balanced in relation to the underlying and surrounding landform. Turbines seen upon steep slopes often appear to be ‘unstable’. It is also important that the scale and extent of a wind farm do not seem to overwhelm the distinctive character and scale of a landform, especially prominent landforms. Single turbines are particularly challenging to site as they are often the only major vertical forms in the landscape.
Skylines are of critical importance. This is illustrated by the contrast between the simple, horizontal skylines of wide, flat landscapes and the more complex, vertical and diagonal components of skylines formed by mountains and hills. The viewer’s eye is naturally drawn to the skyline, although the extent to which this happens depends on the nature of the skyline, the distribution and type of other elements and foci within the scene. The skyline may be especially valued if it conveys a sense of wildness; forms the backdrop to a settlement; is a particularly distinctive landform, or where notable landmarks and/or cultural features appear on it.
Given the prominence of skylines, it is particularly important that a wind farm avoids, or is sited and designed to relate to them. A key challenge is that the skyline will vary in relation to the position and elevation of a viewer, and the weather. Nevertheless, the design of a wind farm from key viewpoints and routes should ensure it does not detract from the character of a distinctive skyline.
Care should be taken to ensure that the wind farm does not overwhelm the skyline. Distinctive and prominent skylines should not be interrupted by turbines. If the skyline is ‘simple’ in nature, for example over moorland and hills, it is important that wind turbines possess a simple visual relationship to this feature, avoiding variable height and spacing, the overlapping of turbines, or blade tips intermittently ‘breaking’ the skyline.
The landform may provide a design opportunity to limit visibility of wind turbines and site infrastructure. For example, where a wind farm is to be sited on a hill ridge, turbines may be set back from the edge and placed such that the slopes preclude visibility from below, reducing visual intrusion on the more settled lowlands, even if they may be clearly visible from adjacent hills. Narrow bands of uplands between settled and smaller-scale valleys should be avoided, if a windfarm on the hills would dominate the landscape on both sides.
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