How to Start a Wind Farm: The Ultimate Guide

Wondering how to start a wind farm? If you’re a landowner wanting to start a renewable energy project from scratch, this ultimate overview will get you started on the right foot.

So, you’ve decided to take the plunge and set up a commercial renewable energy project on your land.

But if you have no idea where to start, you’re not alone.

This ultimate guide on how to start a wind farm provides everything you need to get going.

I’ll cover the steps for working with a developer, giving you the confidence to embark on your project.

I’ll also give advice directly to landowners who want to fund projects themselves as self-developers.

Essentially, I’ll cover all bases to equip you with all the information you need in one place.

Why Did I Make This Guide?

During my time working with the UK’s largest renewable energy developer and site operator as an accountant, I saw it all.

From early contracts and option agreements to construction processes and decommissioning, there’s a lot of information to take on for any new project.

But I’ve never personally felt that there was much accessible information out there on how to start a wind farm from a landowner’s point of view. I’ve repeatedly found that landowners miss small things at the lease stage. These oversights usually lead to lost income, missed opportunities and sour relationships between landowners and site operators.

In short, things that we’d all hope to avoid.

So, to try and get landowners the best possible deal, I’ve put together the ultimate guide to starting a wind farm. With all the information you need about option agreements, tackling leases, construction phases and managing the project – it’s all here.

And in my experience, it’s always best to feel confident and prepared when navigating a new renewable energy project.

Contents

Are Wind Farms Worth it for Landowners?

The Land Required for a Wind Farm (AKA: What Constitutes a Good Location for Wind Projects?)

Securing Access to the Land: What Landowners Should Expect

Signing an Option Agreement: Reserving the Land

Getting Access to Capital for Building a Wind Farm

Setting Up Grid Connection (and Why It’s Important)

Choosing the Right Wind Energy Developer

Drawing Up an Appropriate Lease

Getting the Turbines Up and Running (What to Expect as a Landowner)

Managing and Monitoring a Wind Farm

ROC Removals (What Does It Mean and How Can It Affect Landowners?)

The Ins and Outs of Planning Permission for a Wind Farm

Disadvantages of Wind Turbines That Landowners Should Know About Before Diving In

Will Wind Turbines Devalue Your Land?

Final Thoughts

Are Wind Farms Worth It for Landowners?

Our answer is a resounding YES.

Not only do turbines provide a clean source of domestic energy, but they’re also an excellent way for landowners to earn additional income.

Plus, most wind farms will generate significant profits once the project has recouped its initial investment.

And most of the liability for a project lies entirely with the developer.

So most landowners can sit back and rely on a steady stream of near-passive income for the life of the project.

1. The Land Required for a Wind Farm (What Is a Good Location for a Wind Project?)

Making sure you have the land required for a wind farm is a crucial first step for landowners.

Space

The average land required for a wind turbine can be anything from 25 to 40 acres. And that’s just for a single turbine.

So you can expect large wind farms with huge capacities to need around 10 times that amount.

As an average rule, a typical wind farm requires around two to 40 acres per megawatt of capacity. So, it’s worth weighing up how much land you can offer before developers approach you.

Wind speeds

The best land for wind farms will have a wind speed of around 5.97 m/s (13.36 mph), as higher speeds can significantly boost profits.

But it’s worth noting that any land used for a wind farm will need to have speeds of at least 6.00 m/s (13.42 mph).

Luckily for landowners, average wind speeds in the UK have remained relatively stable over the years, settling at around 4.06 m/s (9.09 mph) in 2021. In certain years, it has risen as high as 4.83 m/s (10.81 mph).

However, developers will be looking at something between 4.83–5.97 m/s (10.81–13.36 mph) for the most reliable yields.

Proximity to nearby properties

Being too close to nearby properties is a major reason that local authorities deny planning permission.

So you’ll want to make sure that no part of the turbine blades on your land will exceed 11.1 metres.

Additionally, the distance from property boundaries should be at least the turbine’s height plus 10 per cent.

If you don’t have enough land to work with, getting a commercial wind project on your property is going to be difficult.

While new planning rules under Labour may change these proximity restrictions, safety elements and property regulations remain essential considerations.

Local support

Getting local support from councils and communities was crucial under the wind regulations that the Conservatives introduced in 2015. However, Labour is set to significantly alter these requirements.

The July 2024 changes to wind policy aim to place decision-making power back in the hands of the Energy Secretary at a national level. By reducing the need for local authorities to pre-approve sites, it’s hoped that communities vetoing new projects will gradually fade away. While it’s tricky to say how this will play out in real time, it’s certainly a positive step forward.

Resistance against onshore wind has also decreased. In fact, 74 per cent of the country currently backs onshore wind.

However, many people still believe that having turbines nearby will devalue their land.

So, it’s certainly something to discuss with your neighbours before meeting with developers (even with new government policies in place).

Quality of land

Now, this might not be something that immediately crosses your mind when starting a wind farm. But turbines are incredibly heavy, and soft soils simply won’t be able to support the weight of the average structure.

The most popular soil types for wind farms are currently as follows:

• Alluvial soils
• Calcareous soils
• Ground-water gleys

These soil types have a much better chance of withstanding the weight of turbines throughout a 20 to 25-year period (the usable lifespan of an average wind farm).

The quality of the land on your site isn’t necessarily something that will make or break a potential wind farm – but it’s worth thinking about.

2. Securing Access to the Land: What Landowners Should Expect

If your land is suitable for wind development, developers will probably try to secure access to the site.

The first thing that a developer will do is weigh up the economic incentives that come with securing your land. This usually involves a feasibility study that assesses your property’s potential when it comes to wind speeds.

A developer will typically compare your site against others in the area and check for an existing Grid connection (which can be highly beneficial).

If your site gets the green light through a preliminary desktop study of the site, a developer may reach out with an option agreement (more on this below).

Before landowners and developers sign an option agreement, developers will assess the planning permission situation. While getting this before July 2024 was extremely difficult, developers will have a far easier time in the near future.

It’s worth mentioning that there are plans to return planning decisions back to a national level, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband set to grant approvals for large-scale projects in due course. While this may take time to implement fully, it’s a promising step forward for both aspiring and existing developers looking to start new projects.

3. Signing an Option Agreement: Reserving the Land

One of the major things I tend to talk about when someone asks me how to start a wind farm is an option agreement.

Sometimes called a lease option, landowners sign these to grant exclusive rights to a specific developer to use a plot of land.

The agreements are legally binding and state holding terms, upfront fees and a few other financial considerations for the project. They will give a developer the right to capture the wind resources on the landowner’s property.

The developer will usually draw up an option agreement on a per-acre basis and it’s usually accompanied by a holding payment.

The agreement doesn’t necessarily mean that a developer will build a wind farm. It simply ensures that the landowner reserves the land for the developer interested in building a project on it.

The option agreement usually lasts for a determined period (like five years). After this period expires, the developer may wish to extend the option agreement or release the land.

Before landowners sign an option agreement, they must understand the commitment required.

As the option agreement will tie up the land for several years, it restricts what the landowner can do with their land during this time. For example, they won’t be able to build any additional farming structures that may encroach on turbine space.

So it’s super important to be fully aware of what to look for when signing any option agreements.

Why are option agreements important?

I’ve written an entire rundown on the ins and outs of option agreements that’s well worth checking out before signing.

But essentially, option agreements prevent landowners from going to another developer if they offer a better price.

And as wind projects are quite speculative when they’re starting out, developers need to protect their initial investments.

As I’ve mentioned, they’ll be carrying out everything from feasibility studies to initial funding during the option agreement phase.

So not having a legal ‘reserve’ on the land can be a very expensive mistake for developers. Plus, the option agreement gives you, as a landowner, the security that a developer is actively seeking a wind project for your land.

Once you both sign the agreement, a landowner’s role is relatively passive until the project is up and running.

And who wouldn’t want to earn extra income by reserving their land for a developer?

4. Getting Access to Capital for Building a Wind Farm

One of the major steps in starting a wind farm is accessing the capital needed to bring it to life.

Now, this isn’t something that landowners will need to think about unless they’re self-financing a project as a landowner-developer. But you might be interested to know what happens behind the scenes during this stage.

If you’re figuring out how to start a wind farm, it’s worth understanding that wind project financing usually takes four forms:

1. Self-financing
2. Leasing the site post-construction
3. Bank financing
4. External investment

None of these methods is necessarily better than the next; it all depends on a developer’s access to capital.

Self-financing

If a developer (or landowner-developer) has sufficient funds, they might look into self-financing. This isn’t very common as the upfront capital required for a wind farm is huge (upwards of £3.13 million to build for a single 3.5 MW turbine).

Although the respective returns can also be huge at up to £7.1 million per year, few developers can pull these huge sums from their own pockets.

They also need to consider planning permission costs, construction costs and the costs associated with Grid connection.

So, most choose to go with options 2, 3 or 4.

Using a management company post-construction

If you’re interested in being a landowner-developer but don’t want to run your project, leasing the site is a great option.

This essentially involves passing the project over to a wind farm management company. They will take care of the day-to-day running and management of the project for a fee.

Not only will this offer a solid income as your project recoups its initial investment, but it also takes the day-to-day work out of the equation.

So, if you’re wondering how to start a wind farm without involving yourself post-construction, this is an excellent option.

Bank financing

Bank financing is the most popular option for landowner-developers and regular developers wondering how to start a wind farm. This is largely because the finance is coming from a trusted source and is unlikely to fall through during the construction phase.

Several UK banks offer top-tier investments for new renewable energy projects.

You’ll want to do plenty of research before settling on a finance plan with a high street bank.

But, most offer quality support during the construction and operational phase of a project as the funds are repaid.

External investment

The final financing option I’ll cover is investment from high-net-worth individuals and crowdfunding.

One-on-one investing usually requires help from individuals who will negotiate a share of the project’s profits throughout its lifetime.

So, they’ll provide a generous upfront investment that you’ll gradually repay through a profit-share system.

This can be slightly riskier than bank financing, as there’s a small chance that your investors could face bankruptcy.

But, as this is relatively unlikely, it’s a decent option if landowner-developers don’t want to be tied to a bank loan.

5. Setting Up Grid Connection (and Why It’s Important)

After an option agreement has been signed, developers will usually apply for Grid connection as soon as possible, because this can take a long time to achieve (up to 10 years in certain regions).

But it’s also because being connected to the Grid is a crucial step in getting a wind farm up and running.

And that’s why having prior Grid connection can make your site incredibly appealing to developers.

The National Grid is an extensive network split into 14 regions that run the length and breadth of the UK. These 14 ‘local grids’ are responsible for distributing the energy transmitted from the National Grid.

The Grid is so important because it transports energy produced by your project to customers. Without a viable end-point, your energy won’t command much of a price on the market.

How is Grid connection set up?

Any kind of work on the Grid will fall into two categories:

• Contestable works
• Non-contestable works

Contestable works are essentially carried out by an independent operator and don’t interfere with any of the 14 Grid points.

Non-contestable works relate to high-risk areas that may affect the overall functioning of the Grid. So, these works should be carried out by dedicated agents of the National Grid.

This isn’t something landowners will need to worry about, but it’s worth bearing in mind.

Two steps to securing a Grid connection

These days, Grid application involves a two-step process that consists of an initial offer and a follow-up offer:

1. The initial offer will be given by Grid representatives if your site is deemed safe for connection.
2. Any follow-up offer will come once a developer has agreed to the terms of Step 1.

After this point, contractors will lay cables and manage the connection.

A quick note on off-takers

If you’re not planning to use the energy produced on your site to run an associated business, you’ll probably need an off-taker. This is a person or business that buys energy produced from a project. So, companies like EDF Energy, Octopus and the like.

The market is relatively competitive and the off-takers are responsible for purchasing and selling the energy.

As a landowner, you won’t have much of an association with off-takers unless you’re self-developing.

6. Choosing the Right Wind Energy Developer

If you’re not planning to self-develop a site, you’ll probably want to know what to look for in a developer.

Now, before you consider self-financing, know that you’ll be taking on the entire financial risk of the project if you do this.

If you work with a developer, you’ll usually receive a prearranged payment and be relatively hands-off.

Whether you  choose to be deeply involved in the project will depend entirely on your goals and your access to capital.

So, consider your approach carefully before arriving at a decision to self-develop or engage with a developer.

What is a developer responsible for?

In case you’re wondering what a developer does , they typically:

• Carry out feasibility studies
• Handle option agreements
• Secure Grid connection
• Purchase or lease land
• Install turbines and monitoring equipment
• Secure adequate financing for the project
• Keep the project running smoothly alongside a site operator

7. Drawing Up an Appropriate Lease

So, you’ve signed an option agreement, done market research on your land and your project has the go-ahead.

Now that you have ticked these tasks off, it’s time to draw up a lease that outlines how rent will be paid for leasing your land.

But that’s not all you need to think about as a landowner.

The lease should also take into consideration:

• The decommissioning of the project
• How the roads surrounding the wind farm will be maintained
• Appropriate dispute resolution steps
• The possibility of a mid-lease option
• Time scales for the project including completion dates and expected lifespan

Before diving in headfirst, I always encourage landowners to consider how their lease is written.

Not only will this important document protect you, but even the way it’s written could make all the difference to the success of a project. In fact, I have seen poorly worded lease agreements reduce landowner payments by 50 per cent.

So, I recommend not underestimating the value of consulting a team of experts when drawing up your lease.

Make sure your payment terms are outlined

As a landowner, you likely have specific payment arrangements you want to adhere to.

For example,  you may favour fixed rent or another payment agreement. Whatever your preference, it all must be very clearly outlined in the lease agreement. Equally, you may have other specific elements you want included in your lease.

The wording of the lease can also impact the income that the developer can generate from the site.

Another important consideration is whether you, as a landowner, have opted out of the Landlord Tenant Act of 1954. This could potentially limit a site operator’s ability to stay on the land once a lease expires or make it difficult for a landowner to end the project.

What about mid-lease options?

A mid-lease option is essentially the chance to renegotiate your terms during your lease period. This is often done when your rental income no longer aligns with current market rates.

By working a mid-lease option into your terms, you can renegotiate without any pushback from your site operator.

To get the best terms possible, I highly recommend consulting a team of experts. They’ll be able to help you get the wording just right to secure a productive discussion mid-lease.

A quick note on payment arrangements and dispute resolution

Before I go any further, I thought I’d mention that it’s crucial to have your payment arrangement and lease fully outlined before this point.

It probably goes without saying, but this will give you the capacity to fully monitor your payments over time.

If you don’t have a clear payment arrangement in place, checking the accuracy of your payments will be far more difficult.

And as disputes can cost as much as £300,000 on the higher end, you don’t want to risk a dispute at any point.

To avoid that, get your payment arrangement in order and have a great conflict resolution clause in place.

Don’t forget monitoring, management and decommissioning

It’s extremely important to work clear guidelines on management and decommissioning into a lease.

Unless you’re fronting the cost of your project, the costs of monitoring and management should fall to your developer and site operator.

By discussing the exact maintenance that the site requires during its lifetime (and who’s responsible for its upkeep), you’ll avoid several logistical headaches.

When it comes to decommissioning, the same rules apply.

You’ll have the choice to extend your wind farm project, but it’s incredibly important to work decommissioning responsibilities into your lease clearly before signing, because it’s the landowner’s legal responsibility to restore the land to its original state after a project.

Now, in most projects I’ve seen, this very rarely falls to the landowner. But if decommissioning terms aren’t clearly stated in your lease, you could leave yourself vulnerable once the project is no longer viable.

8. Getting the Turbines Up and Running (What to Expect as a Landowner)

Now that you’ve got an appropriate lease together, it’s time to get the turbines up and running.

The installation of wind turbines involves everything from building access roads to constructing the turbines themselves.

This turbine-building process usually consists of:

1. Laying the foundations
2. Constructing the tower
3. Adding the nacelles
4. Fixing the blades
5. Testing and commissioning the turbines

The process from option agreement and lease to getting the turbines constructed can take a while. But, once the construction teams are on-site, the process usually ticks along nicely.

It’s worth noting that the laying of access roads and foundations may impact your day-to-day activities slightly. However, I’ve always found that the general impact on landowners is minimal.

If you have any questions about the turbines or any part of the process, check in with your developer.

How long does the process take?

The process of installing wind turbines generally depends on their size and structure.

Smaller turbines naturally take less time to construct, as there are fewer moving parts and less construction equipment is required.

From my own research, the average commercial turbine takes approximately three years and eight months to fully construct.

And that’s from the date a planning application is submitted to the date the project is fully operational.

9. Managing and Monitoring a Wind Farm

Once your wind farm is up and running, your developer and site operator will perform regular maintenance checks.

What happens once the project is up and running?

Your site operator will be responsible for keeping the site running, planning maintenance checks and keeping the turbines in good condition.

These checks usually take place when the turbines are harnessing less energy, so the site doesn’t lose valuable potential income during high-yield periods.

It’s worth noting that the site will completely shut down at points during the year for more intense maintenance. These periods will be few and far between, but it could reduce the expected income for that particular period.

How are wind farms monitored?

If you’re wondering how your wind farm will be managed and monitored, it’s down to a collection of sensors.

These are generally:

• Accelerometers to measure physical acceleration from the turbine blades
• Temperature sensors to monitor current-carrying components in the turbine
• Pressure sensors to manage the hydraulic system inside each turbine
• Rotational speed sensors to measure the general performance of the site

These sensors won’t be monitored by the landowner, but it’s good to know what your site operator is managing during the project’s life.

The importance of good relationships

Maintaining a good relationship with your site operator is going to make your project much more pleasant.

Not only will a friendly relationship make day-to-day dealings easier for both parties, but it’ll also make issues quicker to resolve.

And, at the end of the day, that’s the best place to be during the management and monitoring phase of a wind farm’s life.

What can you do to monitor the projects on your land?

Carry out regular audits

I regularly see underpayments when carrying out site reviews with SiteView360(™).

I’ve found that around 75 per cent of landowners discover calculation errors across the lifetime of their projects. These won’t be deliberate underpayments, but the often-complicated income streams can make tracking quite difficult.

It’s also important to remember that energy is linked to the price of gas in the UK. So, you should be receiving higher payments in line with these changes.

Keep an eye on your lease

The last thing you want is to have your lease end without a formal agreement in place.

This usually gives the site operator more rights than you may be willing to sign away – so keep an eye on key lease dates.

It’s also worth noting those useful mid-lease options that I mentioned earlier.

Remember that the mid-lease option allows you to renegotiate terms during a lease, giving you the chance to get more favourable terms. Not only does this give you wiggle room for the next several years, but it keeps your lease in line with current market rates.

If you’re not entirely sure how to negotiate the best possible deal, it’s worth performing a SiteScan(™).

This will offer the latest figures on similar sites around the country, giving you hard evidence about the income you should expect and putting you in a strong position.

10. ROC Removals (What Does It Mean and How Can It Affect Landowners?)

You may have heard about the removal of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROC).

These UK-based subsidies have been boosting wind farm revenues for over 20 years, but they’re set to be removed in 2027.

Although these removals will most affect developers, they can impact the income a wind farm makes. So you’ll want to be aware of what they are and how their removal may affect the profitability of a project.

These ROC payments are currently responsible for around 40 to 50 per cent of what the average wind farm generates. So, when these subsidies are eventually removed, the overall payments to landowners will fall.

Before you think this is entirely negative, just stick with me.

Energy prices and Contracts for Difference (CfDs)

Energy prices as of 2025 are still at an all-time high, meaning wind farms are receiving far more cash per unit of energy than they typically do.

It’s hoped that this boost will balance out the removal of the ROCs for the next 10 years or so.

Once the ROCs are removed, the Contracts for Difference scheme will fully replace them. This involves selling energy to the Grid for a fixed price for 10 to 15 years in exchange for stability.

These prices will be lower than current market prices, but they should keep income reliable.

If the price of energy falls above or below the amount listed in the Contracts for Difference scheme, this will be repaid by (or to) the site operator.

So, if the average price of energy is £50/unit and the site makes more than this, the site operator pays the difference back. If it makes less, the difference will be made up by the government.

By this standard, the price of energy paid to the site operator will always be set at £50/unit.

So, what does ROC removal mean for landowners?

Although the thought of losing income from your site isn’t pleasant, developers will repower many sites after ROC removal.

Many developers are letting sites live out the ROC period to take advantage of the higher payments.

But repowered turbines lead to higher economies of scale per turbine. This is because developers often replace the old turbines with larger, more powerful and more efficient modern turbines.

So you need fewer turbines to produce the same amount of energy as you previously did. Which means the net impact of the ROC subsidy removal won’t be as significant as you might think.

There will be a reduction in rent once the subsidies are taken away but developers should understand this and only reduce rent proportionately.

If it’s any more than an appropriate dip, you’ll want to discuss this with them as quickly as possible when the time comes.

11. The Ins and Outs of Planning Permission for a Wind Farm

If you’re figuring out how to start a wind farm, planning permission is something you’ll always need to think about.

In its most basic terms, planning permission is when a local authority gives the power to develop land. Although some parts of the country support new wind developments, developers have historically found it difficult to get planning permission in England.

Planning permission generally exists to keep developments in line with local regulations, but it has recently been quite restrictive regarding new wind projects (especially in England).

Scotland is far more supportive of new projects than any other part of the country. However, changes to English legislation in 2015 actively decimated the number of new wind farms developers were building.

Recent announcements by the Labour government mean that it’s no longer all doom and gloom for English developers. 

As of July 8, 2024, they have scrapped the de facto ban on new onshore wind projects and aim to bring planning decisions to the national level. In short, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband will be responsible for making the final call on onshore wind developments in the near future.

Why is planning permission so difficult to get in England?

The main issues with wind turbine planning permission in the UK used to revolve around local authorities.

For the local authority to green-light a new project, it needed to be in an area they’d already identified as suitable for wind development. If the local authority hadn’t identified the area as suitable, it was unlikely that the authority would grant the project planning permission.

However, as of 2023, just 20.8 per cent of local authorities had identified suitable areas for wind development. 

From my own research, I found that developers built just 16 wind farms between 2016 and 2022. If you compare this to the 435 between 2011 and 2015, it’s clear that there was a massive shift in project approvals due to the 2015 policy restrictions.

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill 2023 became the first glimmer of hope for new planning rules. This amendment to planning regulations stated that concerns from the local community needed to be ‘appropriately’ addressed instead of ‘fully’ addressed (as the 2015 legislation stated).

This was a serious improvement on existing planning guidelines. However, the government still needed to take more action to see genuine change in the number of projects getting off the ground.

And that’s where Labour’s announcement comes in with a triumphant bang.

Now that we’ve given you a brief rundown of the planning permission timeline in the UK in recent years, let’s examine the current process:

What does the planning permission process involve?

Once you’ve signed an option agreement as a landowner, the planning process will begin.

This usually involves the following stages:

• Screening and consultation stage
• Application surveys and submission to the local authority
• Application management stage
• Post-consent and potential appeals stage

I’ve found that very few wind farms make their way to the operational stage. In fact, just 705 out of 2,297 total wind farms across the country are currently operational.

And out of those 2,297 wind farms, 66 per cent are currently in a ‘grey area’.

This includes projects without current approval, projects in the application stage and projects at the appeal stage.

So, unless you’re in Scotland, projects can take a long time to get off the ground.

Now, previous planning regulations meant that most projects never took off at all. However, developers should feel far more confident about new rules under Labour that aim to remove the red tape that characterised the previous system.

12. Disadvantages of Wind Turbines That Landowners Should Know About Before Diving In

To round up this overview on how to start a wind farm, let’s delve into the disadvantages of hosting turbines.

Now, most landowners don’t report much physical impact on their land or disruption to their day-to-day activities.

But there are a few things you might want to consider before getting in touch with a developer.

Impact on the land

For landowners, one of their main concerns is always going to be the impact on arable land.

At the start of a project’s life, developers will build access roads to construct the turbines.

These roads (and relevant construction vehicles and materials) will take up space and potentially encroach on arable land. They won’t be permanent fixtures, but you’ll probably notice a slight impact on your day-to-day operations for a short period.

Luckily, the average construction period for a wind farm is between two to six months. So, the impact should be minimal.

In some cases, getting turbines on your land can even benefit crops by mixing the surrounding air and boosting CO2 levels. This is only relevant to landowners with regular farming yields, but it’s worth thinking about.

Planning permission setbacks

As I discussed earlier, planning permission woes are a major disadvantage of hosting wind turbines.

With planning permission rules now set to loosen, this may become less of a concern for landowners. However, until July 2024, local authorities had to approve new projects almost unanimously.

Under previous planning guidelines, you may have needed to sign an option agreement for five years and then extend it while waiting for planning permission to come through. So, while it’s not usually a landowner’s responsibility to deal with planning permission, it can certainly affect them.

Intermittent output

While we’re discussing the disadvantages of hosting wind turbines, I need to mention the unreliability of the energy itself.

Although wind is an excellent resource, seasonal changes can affect the amount of wind a turbine produces. And some parts of the country have higher wind speeds and altitudes than others.

For example, Scotland’s higher altitudes naturally produce more wind than areas of the English countryside. This isn’t always the case, but it’s worth taking into account before diving in headfirst.

Aesthetics

It may not be an issue for most landowners, but some people simply don’t like the appearance of wind turbines.

So I always recommend carefully considering the potential change to your land before erecting turbines.

Opportunity cost

Before putting any turbines on your land, you’ll need to think about:

• Any potential lost revenue from arable land
• Being unable to use the reserved land while your land is optioned

These aren’t necessarily dealbreakers, but you’ll need to consider and weigh up the opportunity cost.

Initial expense

If you’re a landowner-developer (AKA: self-developing a site), you’ll need to consider the initial cost of the turbines.

But you won’t need to worry about this if you’re working with a dedicated developer.

The main thing to think about here is that a single commercial turbine costs a whopping £3.13 million – hardly pocket change for most landowners.

Will Wind Turbines Devalue Your Land?

Based on my experience, wind turbines don’t devalue land.

In most cases, the income received from the turbines significantly adds to the value of the property.

Plus, you can’t beat the value of a Grid-connected property if you want to make money from your land.

Final Thoughts

I hope this ultimate guide has given you the lowdown on how to start a wind farm.

Now that you know everything there is about starting a project, download our ebook with details on how to secure the best deal from your land.

It covers the ins and outs of new projects and includes expert tips, checklists and templates.If you need help making more income from your land, get in touch with us. From reviewing the viability of your land to helping you get the best payment arrangement, our expert team is just a click away.

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