Windmills on my mind

proposed wind farm

Our project manager, Antonio Marconi has just sent us sketches of a potential wind farm that could be placed along the ridge to the north of the castle.

And we’re in a bit of a dilemma.

Firstly of course we were unaware of the proposals for the wind farm, and a little surprised that the Commune of Piobbico had not alerted us to the proposal earlier or sought our views.

Secondly both Francesca and I are very keen to embrace new, more efficient and more sustainable sources of energy wherever possible. Indeed wehave had long and detailed discussions about the options open to us for heating and electricity as we build the castle, and our preference is to make the hotel as eco-friendly as possible.

But  - and here is the rub  - where the wind farm is being proposed is the nearest ridge line to the hotel. That means that they are not only in plain sight, but they are the first thing you see. They will dominate the immediate surroundings. Furthermore, these wind turbines are not quiet. They generate signficant noise as the massive blades turn through the air.

And so here is the dilemma. Do we support the project becuse it is good for the region and will produce efficient and sustainable energy or do we oppose it because of the signficat impact it will ae on the ambience, tranquility and vistas of the hotel. The awful truth is that unless guests have the tranquility they seek, unless we can differentiate oursleves from other hotels by offering unspoilt views over the surrounding country side, then the project is simply not viable. You can guarantee that reviews would say “Wonderful hotel, exemplary service, shame about the proximity of the wind turbines”, or something similar. A key part of our marketing proposition is the seclusion, the lack of outside noise or interference and the unspoiled views.

Whilst is seem hypocritical to say we support green energy providing it does not impact us, the reality is that a wind farm on the ridge closest to the hotel would not only impact the value of the real estate, it would completely undermine the viability of the project.

So regretfully it is not something that we feel we can really support.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 5th, 2009 at 8:39 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.