Identifying key influences for planning acceptance of onshore wind turbines

There is a global drive to develop renewable energy power generation to reduce environmental impacts and enhance energy security especially through indigenous resources. Wind energy conversion both on and offshore is one of the most effective technologies to provide sustainable power. In the deployments of such technologies, geographical information systems are extensively used to identify suitable sites for the installation of wind turbines. However, there are concerns that such approaches fail to model site suitability accurately, and in particular fail to account for the difficulties faced in gaining planning permission. This study has explored whether the planning success of proposed wind turbine projects can be predicted using a range of geospatial parameters based on Great Britain as a case study. Logistic regression is used to assess the relationship between appropriate variables and planning outcome. The results indicate that the size of the project, percentage of the local population with high levels of qualifications, the average age, and local political composition emerge as key influences affecting planning approval. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study which has quantitatively linked regional social and political data to the planning outcome of wind turbines. These findings can help reduce the level of planning issues encountered for proposed wind turbine, improving the accuracy of GIS modelling of wind turbines.