By 2030 Austria aims to meet 100\% of its electricity demand from domestic renewable sources, predominantly from wind and solar energy. While wind power reduces CO2 emissions , it is also connected to negative impacts at the local level, such as interference with landscape aesthetics. Nevertheless, wind power comes at lower system integration cost than solar power, so that it effectively reduces system cost. We quantify the opportunity cost of replacing wind turbines with solar power , using the power system model medea. Our findings suggest that these cost of undisturbed landscapes are considerable, particularly when PV is not entirely rolled out as utility scale, open space installations. The opportunity cost is likely high enough to allow for significant compensation of the ones affected by local  wind turbine externalities.
By 2030 Austria aims to meet 100\% of its electricity demand from domestic renewable sources, with most of the additional generation coming from wind and solar energy. Apart from the benefit of reducing CO2 emissions and, potentially, system cost, wind power is associated with negative impacts at the local level, such as interference with landscape aesthetics. Some of these impacts might be avoided by using alternative renewable energy technologies. Thus, we quantify the opportunity cost of wind power versus its best feasible alternative solar photovoltaics , using the power system model medea. Our findings suggest that the cost of undisturbed landscapes is considerable, particularly when solar PV is mainly realized on roof-tops. Under a wide range of assumptions, the opportunity cost of wind power is high enough to allow for significant compensation of the ones affected by local , negative wind turbine externalities.
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wind power versus its best feasible alternative solar photovoltaics
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PV is not entirely rolled out as utility scale, open space installations. The opportunity cost is likely
solar PV is mainly realized on roof-tops. Under a wide range of assumptions, the opportunity cost of wind power is
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