Optimal Siting of Onshore Wind Turbines - Local Disamenities Matter

The deployment of onshore wind power is an important means to mitigate climate change. However, turbines also produce local disamenities residents living next them, mainly due noise emissions and visual effects. Our paper analyzes how the presence affects socially optimal siting power. analysis builds on a spatial optimization model using geographical information system (GIS) data for Germany. results indicate major trade-off between goals minimizing electricity generation disamenity costs. Considering costs substantially alters - in fact dominates allocation deployment. This because Germany a) correlation only moderately positive, b) exhibit larger heterogeneity than These are robust variations level slope cost function that we assume modeling. findings emphasize importance supplementing support schemes with approaches address disamenties, e.g., compensation payments or minimum settlement distances.