Wind Farm Development in New Zealand

Wind farms are a proven environmentally
sound and economically viable means of generating renewable
energy. Energy security and sustainability are central to
New Zealand's economic future. Population and economic
growth and energy intensive industries are rising New
Zealand's appetite for electricity. Recent power crisis
along with the green image of New Zealand have reinforced
the need to take positive steps to ensure a reliable,
renewable and sustainable electricity supply for this
country. But wind farm projects tend to face opposition at
the local level because of its various potential
environmental and socio-economic impacts. Therefore, gaining
public acceptance becomes one of the most important factors
for successful wind farm development. This book identifies
the potential impacts of wind farm development with specific
attention to those impacts and public dynamics surrounding
wind farm development considering the policy context of New
Zealand. It also looks into domestic and international wind
farms along with drawing out the success and/or failure
characteristics with respect to consultation, and impact
mitigation providing empirical evidence from New Zealand.