For many passersby, the sight of wind turbines on the North Shore and elsewhere in the islands represent a mix of clean-energy blessing and aesthetic blight. But for residents living in the shadow of especially large windmills rising in Kahuku, the matter is more complicated — and in need of clarity.

Last week, Keep the North Shore Country filed a petition with the Honolulu Zoning Board of Appeals, charging that the city wrongfully permitted Na Pua Makani turbines to be located closer to homes and schools than should be allowed under the Land Use Ordinance.

To meet the city’s setback requirements, the distance between the wind machine and the nearest residence must be equivalent to the maximum turbine blade-tip height. But in this case, the city OK’d locating turbines as tall as 656 feet as close as 284 feet — slightly less than 95 yards — from a neighboring property line. The petition wants four approvals to be rescinded.

Perhaps because the city’s approval was issued amid perceived give-and-take tied to the wind farm’s planned count of turbines, until now, the proximity attracted little attention. With construction of five of the farm’s eight turbines recently completed, it’s clear that some wind-power questions need more scrutiny. At the top of the list: How close is too close?

In April 2016, developer AES Corp. responded to concerns voiced by Kahuku Community Association and others about visual impact and turbine noise by reducing by two the count of turbines needed to meet the target-generating capacity for the project, with an increase in height as part of the trade-off.

More recently, concerns about proximity have prompted questions about whether nearby windmills can be harmful to health. AES claims that there will be no effects, based upon the conclusions of the project’s environmental impact study (EIS).

But in a recent commentary published in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Michael Richards, executive director of Hawaii-based Science Camps of America, pointed out that in the EIS and various other studies, there appears to be no definitive answer to the health question. Further, it’s unsettling that none of the research referenced in the EIS looked at effects of a windmill situated this close to residents.

Given Hawaii’s land constraints, we can expect wind farms here to be located closer to inhabited areas compared with those elsewhere. Still, we should approach this uncharted territory with ample caution.

Hawaii has some lofty clean-energy goals. Among the state mandates: a 2045 deadline for generating 100% of electricity sales from renewable resources. With Hawaiian Electric companies expecting to meet a 2020 deadline for hitting the 30%, more wind and solar projects are being weighed for construction in coming years.

And right now, observers say, the rooftop photovoltaic industry in the islands is on track to have its busiest year since 2016, due in part to emerging technology increasing affordability and availability of batteries.

In the case of Na Pua Makani, in October and November, protesters from the Kahuku community blocked transport of turbine parts to the construction site — situated on agricultural land next to a residential neighborhood to the east and space managed by the Army for training to the west.

Given that the city cleared the way for construction of among the tallest windmills in the U.S. — more than 225 feet taller than First Hawaiian Center, Honolulu’s tallest building — the last-ditch resistance should not be surprising. Is there any Oahu community that would be pleased to welcome a similarly situated neighbor?

The Zoning Board of Appeals proceedings will be an important venue to seek more clarity — on proximity effects from Na Pua Makani and to inform future wind projects. While some sacrifices are likely for the sake of securing clean energy, Hawaii should prioritize new technologies that are less obtrusive than a 656-foot turbine whirring away 284 feet from the project’s property line.