Wind: A Clean Source of Energy
Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Public Domain)
Wind is a clean source of energy, and overall, the use of wind for energy has fewer environmental impacts than using many other energy sources. Wind turbines (often called windmills) do not release emissions that pollute the air or water (with rare exceptions), and they do not require water for cooling. They may also reduce the amount of electricity generated from fossil fuels and therefore reduce the amount of air pollution, carbon dioxide emissions, and water use of fossil fuel power plants.
A wind turbine has a small physical footprint relative to the amount of electricity it can produce. Many wind projects, sometimes called wind farms, are located on farm, grazing, and forest land. The extra income from the turbines may allow farmers and ranchers to stay in business and keep their property from being developed for other uses. For example, wind power projects have been proposed as alternatives to mountain top removal coal mining projects in the Appalachian mountains of the U.S. Off-shore wind turbines on lakes or the ocean may have smaller environmental impacts than turbines on land.
Drawbacks of Wind Turbines
Wind turbines do have negative impacts on the environment, but the negative impacts have to be balanced with our need for electricity and the overall lower environmental impact of using wind for energy relative to other sources of energy to make electricity.
Modern wind turbines are very large machines, and some people do not like their visual impact on the landscape. A few wind turbines have caught on fire, and some have leaked lubricating fluids, though this is relatively rare. Some people do not like the sound that wind turbine blades make. Some types of wind turbines and wind projects cause bird and bat deaths. These deaths may contribute to declines in species that are also being affected by other human-related impacts. Many birds are killed from collisions with vehicles and buildings, by house cats and hunters, and by pesticides. Their natural habitats may be altered or destroyed by human development and by the changes in the climate that most scientists believe are caused by greenhouse gases emissions from human activities (which wind energy use can help reduce). The wind energy industry and the U.S. government are researching ways to reduce the impact of wind turbines on birds and bats.
Most wind power projects on land also require service roads that add to their physical impact on the environment. Making the metals and other materials in wind turbines and the concrete for their foundations requires the use of energy, which may be from fossil fuels. Some studies have shown that wind turbines produce much more clean electricity over their operating life than the equivalent amount of energy used to make and install them.