Ioan Jivan

Open in app Problems with Wind Turbines Ioan Jivan 6 min read · 2 days ago Listen Share More It’s very easy to understand the appeal of wind power. The clean energy, combined with the futuristic idea of using the movement already present on earth to power our gadgets and reduce our carbon footprint, makes the world look at it from an optimistic perspective. But they are far from perfect. The first windwheel was actually designed in the 1st century CE, by Hero of Alexandria. Yes, actually in the 1st century. And yes, his name was Hero. He was a very impressive inventor, of which you’ll be convinced if you check out his work, earning him that name. The first wind ‘power plants’, however, you could say were developed in the 7th century in Sistan, Persia. These machines consisted of a circular wall with slits, surrounding an axle that would be spun by four to eight sail fabrics. The wind would blow through the slits, into the fabrics and turn the axle. This was used to grind cereal and it seems to transport water as well, but details are scarce. they were called Panemone Now, fitting for the information age, our technology is quite advanced and there are even smaller wind turbines that can be used for charging batteries and powering traffic lights, while the big ones are the ones everyone knows, used for powering homes. Most countries have started using wind turbines or are in the process of partially integrating them. Denmark, for example, gets 55 percent of its energy from wind power and Scotland scores a whopping 78 percent, almost like the wind would never stop there. The technology keeps getting better and experts consider it one of the best options for transitioning to a more sustainable grid, so it’s no surprise that it gained popularity among us normal folks as well. We keep pushing governments for more clean energy and admire the tall towers whenever we can. You could even say that wind turbines are iconic by now. The image of a hill full of turbines, preferably combined with the background of a setting sun or sky so blue it’s almost neon has become a poster image for environmental activism. Popularity keeps increasing and in 2022 these machines supplied 7.33 percent of our total energy needs. But every icon has its dark side and people start talking. The problems First of all, turbines are loud. At a distance of 300m, the sound is as loud as 45 decibels. Most refrigerators produce a sound of 40 decibels, so if you go to a picnic remotely close to a turbine, you’ll hear the familiar sound of a refrigerator, giving you that sweet homey feeling to make the meal better. This means that they have to be placed quite far away from residential and industrial places, which adds one more factor to the complexity. They look great on a hill, but you don’t want to be there with them. By the way, this also perpetuates the illusion that turbines are much smaller than they actually are. The average height of a machine is 90 meters, so they’re huge. It’s just that few people have actually gone near them and most photos are taken from a distance. Being too loud also means that wind farms take up much more space than they seem, since it’s not only the actual terrain that has to be taken into account, but the surroundings as well. Maybe you would like to place a house there or a fox-themed spa resort, but now you are limited to farms and a few other things. This significantly raises the opportunity cost and makes people take that sweet oil into consideration yet again. Moreover, there is a bigger concern. The poor winged creatures… It’s hard to estimate how many, but it’s certain that high numbers of birds and bats have become victims of collisions with the blades of wind turbines. Researchers fear that this will affect the ecosystems more than we think, since this was not exactly expected when eolian electricity was discovered. Wind farms were supposed to benefit nature, but something happened and they are now out for blood. In 2015, the European Journal of Wildlife Research estimated that 250,000 of them die per year because of turbines in Germany. Another study from 2015 stated that 366,000 birds die in the United States due to collisions. There has been a lot of debate about the actual numbers, since there’s no way to calculate for sure, but it’s obvious that the number is way higher than the findings of these few studies. By VillageHero on Wikimedia Commons (CC) Still, when compared to how many birds are killed by cats (holding a kill count of 2.41b) and other hunters, including artificial ones like power lines, the numbers don’t seem like much. Also, wind farms are estimated to be responsible for the deaths of less than 0.4 birds per GWh, compared to the over 5 per GWh scored by stations powered by fossil fuels. So wind farms are not exactly the worst offender here. But do numbers really matter or is the fact that it’s happening enough? It’s not exactly ethical to look only at how much something is happening when that something is not exactly considered good. We should be doing everything we can to make the system perfect. And engineers are trying. For example, some wind farms are equipped with ultrasonic deterrents to reduce the chances of bats coming near the towers. They are also coming up with new designs that would reduce the chances of birds coming near the wind turbines. But the most effective way seems to be to avoid important locations when planning new construction. For example, setting up wind farms in some important migration route locations is banned. It is very important to avoid high-density bird locations if reducing environmental impact is our goal. Other factors to consider are the impacts on cultural and touristic locations. Yes, wind farms can be very pretty and can really make a scenery, but you don’t want them near UNESCO-protected natural landmarks. Or near an old monastery, castle or the ruins of ancient cities, you know. The historical landscape can be more valuable than the energy produced by a few turbines, even if the wind is just perfect in that location. As with most technologies that can be used for good causes, wind energy suffers from a double standard. On the one hand, it can protect the environment by generating clean energy and this way reducing pollution, but on the other, it can damage ecosystems in a direct way. Most of us don’t think we should give up on wind turbines, but it’s important to acknowledge their shortcomings. Some celebrities are addicted to alcohol, others to murdering winged species, each with their flaws. Wind Energy Renewable Energy Sustainability Environment Sustainable Development Edit profile Written by Ioan Jivan 0 Followers More from Ioan Jivan