Wind power and the environment
Wind energy creates substantial environmental benefits. By producing clean power without fossil fuels, it reduces air pollution from fossil fuels, which has become a serious problem in both industrialised and developing countries.
It also saves substantial amounts of CO2, and it is the only power generation technology with the potential to deliver the much needed cuts in CO2 emissions in the critical period up to 2020.
While, like any other power technology, wind power has impacts on the environment, these are mainly local and low intensity. Studies have shown that:
- Noise generation by a wind turbine is 35-45 dB(A) at 350m. That’s less noise than traffic, and about the same as a quiet bedroom.
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Direct deaths of birds by wind turbines average between 0.1 – 0.6 collisions per turbine per year. Cats kill 1 billion birds per year in the US. A single oil shipping accident can wipe out hundreds of thousands of birds in one day. The UK Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has cited climate change as the biggest threat to birds in the years to come.
- Offshore wind farm connectors are based on multi-conductor cable systems to avoid interference with marine animals.
Birds and wind turbines live in harmony
Global Wind Energy Council, Rue d'Arlon 63-65, 1040 Brussels, Belgium, Tel: +32 2 400 1029, Fax: +32 2 546 1944, Email: info@gwec.net