Visual impact assessment of offshore wind farms in a decision support system

Abstract

Onshore or offshore renewable energy helps to obtain energy

in a sustainable manner. However, the deployment of both

alternatives can damage the environment with different

kind of impacts. For this reason, the place to construct these

infrastructures must take into account all related impacts.

In this way, Decision Support Systems (DSS) are useful tools.

In this paper, a methodology to introduce a visual impact

indicator into a DSS for the Environmental Impact Assessment

of Offshore Renewable Energy (AMBEMAR) is shown. This

DSS is also described. This methodology is adjusted to DSS

requirements and flexible to any study case. The result is

one visual impact index calculated through a multicriteria

analysis that can be used to compare different cases. This

methodology is applied to a study case located in the coast in

front of Cantabria region (Spain). Two hypothesis of wind farms

and other two possible locations for its electric transforming

substations are analysed from visual impact point of view. The

method shows that furthest wind farm has the lowest impact

but indices have a slight variation in both cases