Are wind turbines an eyesore?

Aesthetics are a personal thing. It’s fine if you don’t like the way wind turbines look. But don’t assume everyone thinks the same way.

Possible’s Leo Murray is a big fan: “I’ve always loved seeing wind turbines in the landscape, I think they look elegant and majestic. As someone more than a little bit concerned about climate change, I find the sight of wind power in action uplifting and deeply reassuring - perhaps we really are going to solve this problem after all.”

When you ask, it turns out that lots of people feel the same as Leo. Polling found that  66% of UK public find look of onshore wind farms acceptable. It’s normal to like wind power. Many people find them very beautiful, like Leo - proud and strong, little glimmers of hope on the horizon. Some people have even make wind turbines into art.

It’s understandable that people who know and love an area are used to the way it looks and find a load of wind turbines popping up a bit of an imposition. This is one of the reasons why Possible supports the involvement of local people in planning processes - we’d say the same for solar farms as well as offshore and onshore wind. Any bit of new energy infrastructure needs to involve the people who’ll live near it.

It’s also understandable that we want to keep some views wild, or at least kept within a vision of the countryside which we are used to (e.g. fields with sheep in them). Again, we think this is why onshore wind needs to be done well - with thought over where it is placed and with involvement of local people.

The main point we'd make, however, is that if you're worried about conservation, climate change is the greatest threat. And wind power is one of the key solutions we have available to tackle climate change.