What's New
U of G Profs Help Towns Plan for Influx of Windmill Farms
May 24, 2007
Windmill farms are cropping up faster than some rural municipalities can plan for, so University of Guelph landscape architects have developed guidelines to help communities incorporate these towering structures without sacrificing their idyllic landscapes.
Jim Taylor and Robert Corry of OAC's School of Environmental Design and Rural Development recently conducted a study for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to develop best practices for siting wind energy facilities in rural Ontario. The report was based on research conducted for the Municipality of Grey Highlands on wind farm zoning.
“There’s been a whole shift towards renewable energy,” said Taylor. “Ontario was virgin territory for wind energy, and now all of a sudden operators of commercial wind generation are looking for places here. Small rural areas are having wind farms dropped on them.”
The recent move by the province to support renewable energy, including wind energy, has made it a viable economic business in Ontario, said Taylor. But with most wind turbines standing at least 100 metres high and the average wind farm stretching a couple of kilometres, this new form of rural industry can cause significant change to the rural landscape, he said.
“Wind generators are strong visual elements, and people react to them. Some like them and some hate them.”
One of the biggest concerns rural communities have about the towers is that they destroy the scenic view that attracts residents and tourists to the area.
