In comparison to other energy developments, such as nuclear, coal and gas power stations or open cast coal mining, wind farms have relatively little visual impact. Nevertheless, most countries with a wind power industry have established rules which exclude certain areas from development, such as national parks or nature reserves.. Others have identified priority areas where wind power is specifically encouraged.

Wind farm developers recognise that visual impact can be a concern for neighbouring communities. Considerable effort is therefore committed to the planning stages in order to reduce the impact and gain their consent. This includes the use of computer modelling programs to show residents exactly how the turbines will appear from numerous different viewpoints.

A number of national wind energy associations have established detailed best practice guidelines for the development of wind farms, including their visual impact. In Australia, for example, the guidelines produced by Auswind cover construction, operation and decommissioning, including safety, noise, birds and community involvement. In Italy, the Italian Wind Energy Association has developed guidelines together with the main environmental associations - WWF, Legambiente and Greenpeace.

Surveys of public opinion show that most people who live near wind developments find them less intrusive once they are operating than they might have feared beforehand. Other surveys, for instance in Scotland, have shown that there is no evidence that tourism is seriously affected by the presence of wind farms. It is also worth emphasising that wind turbines are not permanent structures. Once removed, the landscape can quickly return to its previous condition.

Although a wind energy project can spread across a large total land area, it does not occupy all that space. Farming or leisure activities can still continue around the turbines. The European Wind Energy Association has estimated that the number of wind farms required to contribute 20% of Europe’s electricity supply would take up only a few hundred square kilometres.