Wind Energy Leasing Handbook
This handbook discusses wind energy leasing. Topics include understanding the electrical power industry, wind power industry, wind energy agreements, and impacts of wind leasing projects. The impacts discussed in this chapter are just a sample of the potential impacts, both positive and negative, a wind project may have on the environment, local landowners, the community surrounding the wind projects and the country itself. As a result, it is important that landowners and communities understand some of the potential effects and impacts in order to make informed decisions as to the status of these projects. Many of the impacts depend largely on the facts and circumstances that surround the developer, the landowners and the community. Because of this variation it is often very difficult to determine what impacts a project may have just by comparing it with past projects. Variables that could affect the impact of a wind project include tax incentives, leasing contracts, the neighboring landowners, the availability of transmission lines, and a host of other factors that may and often do come into play. Some of these impacts could be similar to past projects and others will present new issues.