The growing demand for energy from renewable sources is usually at odds with landscape protection. The use of QGIS capable of processing from a qualitative-quantitative perspective presents itself as a powerful and effective means of analyzing foreseeable impacts and guiding projects to minimize the effects on landscape and territory.

We will present and discuss selected real-world case studies on intervisibility and the visual impact of new renewable energy plants, using the viewshed analysis plugin. We will also examine the configuration of key parameters, such as observer height and viewing distance, the digital terrain model, and subsequent calculations, along with insights derived from both the raster outputs of the plugin and the processing techniques that best represent terrain morphology.

We will examine the different methodological approaches to intervisibility analysis for wind farms and photovoltaic plants. The “pure” results derived from these analyses will be compared with actual visibility conditions on site. To this end, maps will be produced that account not only for terrain morphology but also for vegetation cover and human visual perception parameters. The analysis will include the calculation of affected pixels and surface areas across visibility categories, as well as the definition of visibility (sharpness) bands to support a more consistent interpretation of the results.

The presentation will also focus on the graphic rendering and subsequent reading of this information, as well as on the production of bivariate legend cards for an in-depth study of the impacts of cumulative intervisibility.