The Cost of Undisturbed Landscapes

Abstract

By 2030 Austria aims to meet 100% of its electricity demand from domestic renewable sources, with most of the additional generation coming from wind and solar energy. Apart from the benefit of reducing CO2 emissions and, potentially, system cost, wind power is associated with negative impacts at the local level, such as interference with landscape aesthetics. Some of these impacts might be avoided by using alternative renewable energy technologies. Thus, we quantify the opportunity cost of wind power versus its best feasible alternative solar photovoltaics, using the power system model medea. Our findings suggest that the cost of undisturbed landscapes is considerable, particularly when solar PV is mainly realized on roof-tops. Under a wide range of assumptions, the opportunity cost of wind power is high enough to allow for significant compensation of the ones affected by local, negative wind turbine externalities.

arXiv commentChangelog: * scaled intermittent generation profiles to match energy balances, * updated results accordingly, * added figures and tables

References in corpus (6)

• Synergies of sector coupling and transmission reinforcement in a cost-optimised, highly renewable European energy system
• The Benefits of Cooperation in a Highly Renewable European Electricity Network
• The Near-Optimal Feasible Space of a Renewable Power System Model
• Decreasing market value of variable renewables can be avoided by policy action
• The Impact of Climate Change on a Cost-Optimal Highly Renewable European Electricity Network
• The impacts of the electricity demand pattern on electricity system cost and the electricity supply mix: a comprehensive modeling analysis for Europe