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Problems With Wind Farms

Wind farms are being developed all over the world to take advantage of the power of wind to provide energy. Although the outcome is satisfying to many, there are problems associated with wind farms. Each wind farm comes with different concerns depending on many variables. Most problems are location specific and can be found on the Environmental Impact Report drawn up for the particular wind farm.

  1. High Winds and No Winds

    • Communities depending on wind for their energy may have to use other sources when the variability of the wind renders a wind farm ineffective. This often means that other energy-producing facilities must continue operating full-time. When the winds are too strong they may damage the blades on the turbines, and when they are too mild they will not turn the blades and the energy must be imported or expended to turn them. The fluctuation is also difficult to predict; the wind turbines cannot be turned off and on according to the wind.

    Wildlife and the Environment

    • Bird enthusiasts find wind farms less than ideal because they kill and maim birds. The blades move through the air at 100 miles per hour. The problem is increased in the fog when birds cannot see the blades. In the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service advises not to develop wind farms in wetlands or areas of low clouds or fog where bird populations, especially migratory bird populations, are high. Environmentalists cite the need to clear forests and mountain ranges to erect the turbines because of the impact this has on runoff and erosion problems.

    Noise

    • Though supporters of wind farms say the noise of turbines is not a nuisance, many living around them complain about the noise. Some say it sounds like helicopters, others say they must close their windows to reduce the noise to a tolerable hum. Manufacturers say that the noise of the mechanical components has been reduced. Others say the thumping sound merely from the blade hitting the air is the noise they find intolerable. Regardless of the noise that comes from different wind farms, each individual living near the farm will decide whether the noise is tolerable to him.

    Mass

    • Wind farms contain huge towers that stretch 200 or 300 feet into the air and weigh more than 150 tons. Each machine needs almost 1,800 square feet of flat graveled area. Each tower requires a huge hole filled with more than 25,000 lbs. of rebar and hundreds, sometimes thousands, of cubic yards of concrete. Environmental groups such as the American Wind Energy Organization say that in some areas there is a possibility that this could interfere in the flow of well water.

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