Iberdrola/Amazon Desert Wind project consists of 104 turbines for a total installed capacity of 208 megawatts. The landscape of North Carolina is now littered with massive turbines and 62 miles of access roads. Special thanks to Don Carrington for sharing his photos.

Impact on Landscape Impact on Views North Carolina

For Annah Bachman, a UNC first-year and Kitty Hawk resident, the Outer Banks are nothing without their views.

Impact on Landscape Impact on Views North Carolina

“There was a lot of support for wind energy, but no one was willing to pay more to see wind turbines from the beach by their vacation rental property. And if turbines are built close to shore, most people said they would choose a different vacation location where they wouldn’t have to see turbines."

Impact on Landscape Impact on Views Offshore Wind North Carolina

"I think the concern is that the visitors experience the view-shed of a 200-year-old lighthouse," said Chris Webb, director of the Old Baldy Foundation. "There's been a concerted effort from the beginning ... to have a very harmonious environment, so when you look over the island you don’t see massive structures. You see some rooftops, but mostly what you see is the maritime forest’s color."

Impact on Landscape Impact on Views North Carolina

"I think the concern is that the visitors experience the view-shed of a 200-year-old lighthouse," said Chris Webb, director of the Old Baldy Foundation. "There's been a concerted effort from the beginning ... to have a very harmonious environment, so when you look over the island you don’t see massive structures. You see some rooftops, but mostly what you see is the maritime forest’s color."

Impact on Landscape Impact on Views North Carolina

The first leases allowing wind turbines offshore of the Carolinas are expected to be let next year although some still worry the massive turbines could harm tourism upon which coastal communities depend.

Impact on Views Offshore Wind North Carolina

The bottom line here is that we really don’t know everything we need to know about wind turbines. Before we spend millions of dollars putting up turbines, we need to understand what their impact on local residents will be.

Impact on Views North Carolina

In 1983, Sugar Top Condos were built on the top of Sugar Mountain in Avery County. Sugar Top Condos rise 131 feet above the ridgeline and can be seen for several miles. These towering condos were so devastating to the scenic splendor of the mountains that the General Assembly wisely enacted strict ridge top laws to stop these monstrosities from appearing throughout our mountains. While the statewide law was too late for Sugar Mountain, the law stopped similar projects of shocking heights and destruction of the mountains. Sugar Top Condos is a permanent reminder that once a structure is built on our mountain tops, we cannot unbuild it.

Impact on Views Impact on Landscape North Carolina

One need not state a falsehood to tell a lie. Misleading presentation of facts and rhetorical sleight of hand have become modern art forms. One of the most insulting practices is the framing of arguments in terms of false choices. I’m particularly disappointed to see two local environmental organizations with whom I share much common ground distilling the debate over industrial scale wind farms down to: We can let the coal industry flatten the mountains and pollute the air and water, or we can let the wind industry turn the mountains into Gary, Ind.,with slopes. Which shall we do? I’ll take C), neither of the above.

Impact on Views Impact on People North Carolina

Rows of wind turbines are unlikely to be spinning atop mountain ridges anytime soon. A Senate committee on Wednesday rejected a proposal that would have paved the way for large-scale wind energy production in the mountains. Large wind turbines are banned under the state's interpretation of a law restricting ridge development. The Agriculture Committee advanced a proposal that would keep it that way, changing the ridge law to cement the ban.

Impact on Views Impact on Landscape North Carolina

A proposed change to North Carolina's ridge protection law unveiled Tuesday would prevent large-scale wind energy production in the mountains. At the urging of some mountain senators, the state Senate Finance Committee added the restrictions to a bill moving through the General Assembly that will shape where windmills are allowed to be built statewide.

Impact on Views Energy Policy Impact on Landscape North Carolina

Wind power would seem to be a necessary component of any strategy by North Carolina to increase the amount of energy produced here from alternative sources. Put simply, there’s plenty of wind in these parts. The downside is that sections of the state where wind currents are strongest and most consistent also happen to be ones that are heavily dependent on tourism and where there is an understandable priority on protecting natural views. That holds for the coast, and it holds for the mountains. The issue of whether and how to take advantage of mountain winds now is before the state Utilities Commission. The commission yesterday held a hearing focused on a proposed Ashe County “wind farm” — 25 or so giant turbines that would be built near Creston in the state’s far northwest. It is easy to see why the project has stirred local opposition in an area where vacation-home development is an economic mainstay.

Impact on Views Energy Policy General Impact on Landscape Tourism Zoning/Planning North Carolina