Impacts of Wind Energy Development on Landscape Planning in the Context of Carbon Neutrality

Energy transformation is an inevitable path to achieve the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. However, the development of renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, may cause problems such as land use conflict, biodiversity loss and landscape quality deterioration. In China’s landscape planning, the negative impacts of wind energy development fail to be fully considered, and the methods for assessing relevant risks typically lack systematic analysis. Taking Germany as an example, this research systematically analyzes the strategies and methods for wind energy utilization in German landscape planning. It is found through the research that German landscape planning can well satisfy the statutory expected requirements for target energy volume while achieving its nature conservation and landscape maintenance goals. The research firstly adopts the scenario hypothesis method to identify potential utilization areas in combination with spatial analysis. After that, it adopts such methods as AIGILaP model, questionnaire survey and eye tracking to assess potential conflicts between wind energy utilization and landscape planning objectives, obtaining the optimal scheme for spatial layout of wind turbines under the guidance of nature conservation. The research believes that German landscape planning experience can provide the following new ideas for China: 1) implement the concept of landscape protection in the whole life cycle from planning to implementation; 2) reflect on the present development dilemma from future scenario hypothesis; 3) improve spatial models in combination with public cognition, so as to make landscape planning well serve the needs of people while solving the problem of wind energy development.