Fuzzy impact assessment on the landscape: The KOBOLD Platform in the Strait of Messina case study

This paper introduces a new semi-quantitative method to model a landscape assessment, by using a fuzzy analysis approach. The main aim of this research is to evaluate the landscape impact of the Kobold prototype in the Straits of Messina. The Kobold turbine, patented in 1998, is a prototype used to extract energy from the marine currents utilizing a vertical axis turbine. The site where the plant is positioned is very close to Ganzirri (Italy), on the Straits of Messina, near the Sicilian coast, at a distance of about 150 - 200 m from the shore. The results allow us to state that the measure of the impact landscape has been a huge success. In fact, the fuzzy variable representing the impact is 98% below the tolerance threshold.