Myth and Facts about Wind power
As wind power generates more electricity more people are being introduced to wind turbines in their communities. Wind power is still a relatively new technology, and a number of myths – some based on old technologies, some based on misunderstandings – are endlessly repeated by opponents of wind power. Further real facts are given about some of the most common myths about wind power.
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MYTH - Wind turbines are noisy
FACT:
Wind turbines are quiet. An operating modern wind farm at a distance of 225 to 300 meters is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room.
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MYTH - Nearby residences will be affected by shadow flicker
FACT:
Shadow flicker is the term used to describe what happens when rotating turbine blades come between the viewer and the sun, causing a moving shadow. Shadow flicker is almost never a problem for residences near new wind farms, and in the few cases where it could be, it is easily avoided. For some who have homes close to wind turbines, shadow flicker can occur under certain circumstances and can be annoying when trying to read or watch television. However, the effect can be precisely calculated to determine whether a flickering shadow will fall on a given location near a wind farm, and how many hours in a year it will do so. Potential problems can be easily identified using these methods, and solutions range from providing an appropriate setback from the turbines to planting trees to disrupt the effect.
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MYTH - turbines interfere with television and other communications signals
FACT:
Interference is rare and easily avoided. Large wind turbines installed at wind farms can interfere with radio or television signals if a turbine is in the “line of sight.” Improving a receiver’s antenna or installing relays to transmit the signal around the wind farm solves this problem; both solutions are common practice in modern wind energy development.
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MYTH - Turbines Are Ugly
FACT:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Many people feel wind turbines are majestic. Wind farm developers have computer-modeling tools that accurately depict virtual views from given spots in the surrounding area. Careful design of a wind project can alleviate many visual concerns.
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MYTH - Wind Turbines do not benefit local communities,wind projects harm property values
FACT:
There is no evidence that the presence of a commercial windfarm within sight of a property systematically decreases that property’s value. In fact, a nationwide USA study conducted in 2003 surveyed property near multiple wind farms and found that not only do wind farms not harm property values, but that in some cases the values increased.
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MYTH - Wind projects depress tourism
FACT:
There is no evidence to indicate that wind turbines drive tourists away. In some areas, wind turbines even draw tourists. Local governments frequently work with developers to install information stands and signs near wind farms, as well as pull-off areas, similar to “scenic overlooks”, from nearby roads. Surveys of tourists have found that the presence of wind turbines would not affect the decision of most visitors to return.
The thousands of turbines in Palm Springs, California, have had no negative impact on the tourism business; on the contrary, the local tourism center organizes bus tours to the wind farms. See details
The thousands of turbines in Palm Springs, California, have had no negative impact on the tourism business; on the contrary, the local tourism center organizes bus tours to the wind farms. See details
MYTH - Wind turbines aren’t safe: blades cause dangerous ice throws
FACT:
Ice throw, while it can occur under certain conditions, is of little danger. Setbacks typically used to minimize noise are sufficient to protect against danger to the public. In addition, ice buildup slows a turbine's rotation and will be sensed by a turbine's control system, causing the turbine to shut down.
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MYTH - Turbines may throw blades or collapse
FACT:
Modern wind turbines are so safe they successfully operate near schools, in urban settings and densely populated areas, and in rural communities. Blade throws were common in the industry's early years, but are unheard-of today because of better turbine design and engineering. Utility-scale wind turbines are certified to international engineering standards, such as those developed by Germanischer Lloyd or Det Norske Veritas, and these include ratings for withstanding different levels of hurricane-strength winds and for other criteria. There are thousands of turbines installed in Europe and thousands in the U.S. - wind turbine standards ensure a high level of operational reliability and safety all around the world.
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MYTH - Wind turbines harm wildlife: turbines kill many birds and bats
FACT:
Wind energy development’s overall impact on birds is extremely low compared with other human-related activities. No matter how extensively wind is developed in the future, bird deaths Raptor kills (of eagles, hawks, and owls) are a problem at one large older wind farm in California, in Altamont Pass, built in the 1980s. Wind farm operators there have worked with wildlife officials and experts to reduce the impacts on raptors, and those efforts continue today. Prior to 2003, bat kills at wind farms studied were low. However, the frequency of bat deaths at a newly constructed wind farm in West Virginia in 2003 has caused concern. In response, AWEA and several of its member companies entered into a three-year cooperative effort with Bat Conservation International, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the U.S.
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MYTH - Wind projects fragment wildlife habitat
FACT:
Wind farms are most often built in areas close to transmission lines where habitat has already been modified and fragmented, typically by farming and ranching. And, wind energy has a light footprint, with only the turbine itself, along with some roads and power lines, impacting the land, while pre-existing land use continues around the turbines as before. Windy land can also often be found in undeveloped areas, however, so habitat fragmentation can be a concern, especially in unbroken stretches of prairie grasslands or forests. The industry supports more research to better understand the extent of possible habitat or wildlife impacts in these areas, but those impacts must be balanced against the effects of not developing renewable energy sources and thereby aggravating global warming and pollution pressures on wildlife and their habitats--not just in prairie or forest areas, but around the world.
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MYTH - Wind turbines are expensive and unreliable: back-up generation is needed for all wind turbines
FACT:
Because of the grid’s inherent design, there is no need to back up every megawatt of wind energy with a megawatt of fossil fuel or dispatchable power. The electric grid is designed to have more generation sources than are needed at any one time because no power plant is 100% reliable. It is a complicated system designed to absorb many impacts, from electric generation sources going out of service unexpectedly to industrial customers starting up energy intensive equipment. The grid operator matches electricity generation to electricity use, and wind energy’s variability is just one more variable in the mix.
Many sources of electricity considered highly reliable suffer from unexpected outages: for instance See details
Many sources of electricity considered highly reliable suffer from unexpected outages: for instance See details
MYTH - Wind turbines operate only a small fraction of the time
FACT:
Wind turbines generate electricity most (65-80%) of the time, although the output amount is variable. No power plant generates at 100% “nameplate capacity” 100% of the time. Nameplate capacity refers to the maximum generation potential of a power plant. A conventional power plant is occasionally closed for maintenance or repairs, or runs below full capacity to best match demand. Wind farms are built in areas where the wind blows most of the time, but because of variations in speed, a wind farm will generate power at full rated capacity about 10% of the time, and on average throughout the year the plant will generate 30% to 35% of its rated capacity.
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MYTH - Wind turbines are inefficient
FACT:
Wind turbines are efficient, and that is part of their beauty. One of the simplest ways to measure overall efficiency is to look at the "energy payback" of an energy technology, i.e., the amount of energy it takes to produce a given amount of energy.
The energy payback time for wind is in fact similar to or better than that of conventional power plants. A recent study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison calculated the average energy payback of Midwestern wind farms to be between 17 and 39 times as much energy as they consume (depending on the average wind speeds at the site), while nuclear power plants generate only about 16 times and coal plants 11 times as much energy as they consume.
Wind turbines are also highly efficient in a larger sense: they generate electricity from a natural, renewable resource, without any hidden See details
The energy payback time for wind is in fact similar to or better than that of conventional power plants. A recent study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison calculated the average energy payback of Midwestern wind farms to be between 17 and 39 times as much energy as they consume (depending on the average wind speeds at the site), while nuclear power plants generate only about 16 times and coal plants 11 times as much energy as they consume.
Wind turbines are also highly efficient in a larger sense: they generate electricity from a natural, renewable resource, without any hidden See details
MYTH - Wind energy Is expensive
FACT:
Wind energy is now in a range that is competitive with power from new conventional power plants. The up-front, capital cost of wind energy is more expensive than that of some traditional power technologies such as natural gas. However, there are no fuel costs, and in good locations the "levelized" cost (which includes the cost of capital, the cost of fuel, and the cost of operations and maintenance over the lifetime of the plant) of wind energy can now be very competitive with that of other energy sources.
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FACT:
Because of the grid’s inherent design, there is no need to back up every megawatt of wind energy with a megawatt of fossil fuel or dispatchable power. The electric grid is designed to have more generation sources than are needed at any one time because no power plant is 100% reliable. It is a complicated system designed to absorb many impacts, from electric generation sources going out of service unexpectedly to industrial customers starting up energy intensive equipment. The grid operator matches electricity generation to electricity use, and wind energy’s variability is just one more variable in the mix.
Many sources of electricity considered highly reliable suffer from unexpected outages: for instance
nuclear reactors and coal plants that shut down, often at short notice, for safety repairs or maintenance. Yet no one proposes to back up a coal or nuclear power plant with a similar amount of dedicated generation from another plant. The reality is that wind energy is naturally variable, but not unreliable. Wind farms are built in windy areas, and seasonal and daily wind generation patterns can be anticipated. Denmark and utility systems in regional areas elsewhere in Europe operate with 10-15% or more of their power coming from wind, without increased reliability problems or need for additional back-up power plants. And in contrast to conventional power plants, wind farms need not shut down altogether for maintenance and repairs—a turbine fault, when it occurs, can be repaired while the other turbines continue to operate.