Visual Impact Assessment Research and Technical Reports
Various federal agencies have sponsored visual impact assessment-related research, development of visual impact assessment tools, or technical reports relevant to visual impact assessment for utility-scale energy projects.
Wind Energy
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Wind Turbine Visibility and Visual Impact Threshold Distance Study (2012, 47 pp).
A field study sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wyoming Office used trained observers to systematically evaluate the visibility of modern utility-scale wind energy facilities in Wyoming and Colorado.
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Offshore Wind Turbine Visibility and Visual Impact Threshold Distance Study (2013, 17 pp).
BOEM collaborated with the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies at the University of Arkansas and Argonne National Laboratory to develop an in-house GIS-based tool to support assessment of potential visual impacts associated with offshore wind energy facilities. Included in this effort was a visual impact threshold distance analysis of existing offshore wind energy arrays off the coast of the United Kingdom.
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Offshore North Carolina Visualization Study
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) partnered with the National Park Service to create state-of-the-art visual simulations of a hypothetical wind energy facility offshore North Carolina. BOEM held Visual Simulation Open Houses in North Carolina to provide an opportunity to review the results of the Offshore Wind Visualization Study, which focused on locations within the Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores.
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Offshore New York Visualization Study
In response to stakeholder interest regarding visual impacts from potential future renewable energy development within the New York Call Area, BOEM has undertaken a project to develop visual simulations of a hypothetical wind energy facility on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Long Island, New York. The purpose of the study is to characterize the potential onshore visibility of offshore wind turbines from locations along the coasts of New York and New Jersey under different seasons, times of day and weather condition.
Solar Energy
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Visual Impacts of Utility-scale Solar Energy Facilities on Southwestern Desert Landscapes (2012, 31 pp).
Field studies sponsored by the BLM Washington Office and the NPS characterized the visual properties and visual impacts of parabolic trough, thin-film photovoltaic (PV) and small-scale solar power towers in Nevada, California, and Spain.
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Utility-Scale Solar Energy Facility Visual Impact Characterization and Mitigation (2013, 67 pp).
A field study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy documented the visual characteristics of utility-scale parabolic trough, thin-film PV, power tower, and concentrating PV facilities in the southwestern U.S., and developed and described visual impact mitigation strategies for these types of facilities.
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Visibility and Visual Characteristics of the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Power Tower Facility (2017, 122 pp).
A field study sponsored by the BLM Washington Office documented the visual characteristics of the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Facility, a utility-scale solar power tower facility located on BLM-administered land in south central Nevada.
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Visibility and Visual Characteristics of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System Power Tower Facility (2015, 114 pp).
A field study sponsored by the BLM Washington Office documented the visual characteristics of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, currently the largest operating power tower system in the world.
Electric Transmission
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Electric Transmission Visibility and Visual Contrast Threshold Distances in Western Landscapes (2014, 46 pp).
A field study sponsored by the BLM Wyoming Office used trained observers to systematically evaluate the visibility of high-voltage electric transmission facilities in Idaho, Nevada, and California.
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Measuring the Visibility of High Voltage Transmission Facilities in the Pacific Northwest (1976, 74 pp).
A field study sponsored by the Bonneville Power Administration used trained observers to systematically evaluate the visibility of high-voltage electric transmission facilities in Washington and Oregon.
Other Reports
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Evaluating Photosimulations for Visual Impact Assessments (2021, 126 pp).
This photosimulation evaluation guide sponsored by the National Park Service (NPS) focuses on the use of evaluating photosimulations in visual impact assessments (VIAs).
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Guide To Evaluating Visual Impact Assessments for Renewable Energy Projects (2014, 198 pp).
This NPS publication presents detailed guidance for evaluating the adequacy of visual impact assessments for utility-scale renewable energy projects and for identifying and understanding the impacts of renewable energy projects on scenic views. More information about the Guide is available.
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NCHRP Report 741: Evaluation of Methodologies for Visual Impact Assessments (2013, 160 pp).
A report from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program for use by transportation planners includes an evaluation of visual impact assessment methodologies, including the BLM, U.S. Forest Service, the Federal Highway Administration, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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A study sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM evaluated the reliability, validity and some aspects of the generalizability of selected observer-based visual impact assessment methods.