'Nerd tourism' pulling more curious visitors to wind farms

The sun setting behind wind turbines at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, in Guerande peninsula, France. — Reuters

The sheer size and scale of wind turbines, which can stand over 240m tall and rotate at up to 322kph, is often used against them. Speaking in Britain’s House of Commons last year, Neil Parish, then an MP and chair of an influential environmental committee, expressed a typical view: “Why do people come to many of our great constituencies? Because they are beautiful,” he said.

“Tourist(s) love to come to them, but I promise that they do not come looking for solar or wind farms.”