Social indicators to localize renewable energy sources considering their visual impacts

In historical and consolidated contexts, the influence of visual factors and landscape perception may limit the possible integration of renewable energy systems (RES) and retrofitting actions. However, in several cases, these restrictions do not take into account the real visibility of a landmark or landscape excellence, causing constraints and limitations in zones where the visual effect is non-existent or limited. The paper will introduce, using 3-D GIS mutual-visibility analyses and social network geo-referred information, an indicator of visibility to define the expected impact of an RES. This methodology may help designers and administrations when re-defining the effect of such technologies on the preservation of the local visual impact of landmarks and points of interest without exceeding in restriction.