Onshore wind has ‘no effect’ on tourism jobs

Onshore windfarm developments have had “no effect” on tourism jobs in Scotland.

A new report from Biggar Economics studied 18 Scottish windfarms and looked at the number of people employed in tourism in the local area before and after they were developed.

Some of the local authority areas with the greatest growth in tourism employment also saw the greatest rise in onshore wind installations, but there was no overall relationship between the two factors.

Biggar Economics director and report author Graeme Blackett said: “Both renewable energy and tourism have been identified by the Scottish government as key growth sectors, and therefore it is important to identify if there are any detrimental effects to one from the development of the other.

“While this is just one piece of research, it is the first that has looked systematically at the situation before and after wind farms have been developed, and it clearly demonstrates that renewable energy and tourism can co-exist in a modern Scotland.”

Between 2009 and 2013 the level of employment in tourism in Scotland increased by 10.8 per cent during a time when the onshore wind sector in Scotland was growing rapidly.

Figures from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in 2013 showed renewable energy supports 21,000 jobs in Scotland, 5,400 of which were in onshore wind.

Scottish Renewables senior policy manager Lindsay Roberts said that figures demonstrated that the “economic and environmental benefits of green energy go hand in hand with significant social benefits.”

WWF Scotland director Lang Banks also welcomed the research: “Hopefully this latest research will finally put to bed the myth that windfarms have a negative impact on tourism jobs. In fact, the reality is that in some cases windfarms have themselves become tourist attractions.”