It isn't that long ago you could drive through regional
areas without seeing any wind turbines – a stark contrast to
how prevalent they are in many areas now. Wind farms are an
important part of the electricity network, but how does it work for
those on whose land a wind turbine is located?
An important first issue is wind farm operators do not have any
power to acquire a person's land to operate wind turbines. They
must either buy the land or – more commonly – lease the
land from the land owner on mutually-agreeable commercial
terms.
It almost goes without saying the wind farm operator will try to
reach an agreement on terms that are as favourable to it as
possible. Where a lease is being entered into between a wind farm
operator and a land owner, it is vitally important professional
advice is obtained, as wind farm agreements are generally long term
commitments, often in the order of 25 to 30 years. Given the length
of this arrangement, it is very important
