Every time I make the trip from Binghamton, NY to State College, PA, I always pass a wind turbine farm. Their sheer size and constant motion are mesmerizing. Today’s wind turbines are certainly different, compared to the Egyptians in 5000BC, who utilized wind power to move boats along the Nile River. The basic structure of a wind turbine is most commonly three blades connected to a tower that is comprised of tubular steel. When the blades catch the wind’s energy, a “low-pressure air pocket then pulls the blade toward it, causing the rotor to turn” (U.S. Department of Energy, para. 5). This motion, also known as lift, causes the wind’s force against the blade to be less than the force of the lift. The result: blades that spin like a propeller.
http://https://youtu.be/uXGj4t2LSEY
On top of the wind tower, is the nacelle house that stores the components of the gears, rotor, and generator. The gears are a key component that increases the rotations of the rotor to ” to roughly 1,800 revolutions per minute,” allowing the generation of AC electricity (U.S. Dept. of Energy, para. 8). Additionally, an anemometer tracks and transmits the wind speed to the turbine’s controller. Just imagine, a wind turbine without an anemometer…The blades would spin out of control and would be an extremely dangerous hazard! That goes without saying the speed of wind changes daily, a gentle breeze (8-12mph) is not the same as a strong gale (47-54mph) (Gulf of Maine Moorings). So, what are the benefits and disadvantages of wind turbines? You might be thinking there is nothing wrong with wind turbines, but I am here to offer you the reasons as to why wind turbines are far from advantageous. The advantages of relying on wind power include zero operation costs (WIND IS FREE), tax incentives create growth of the wind industry, it doesn’t release harmful toxins in comparison to coal or natural gas, and it can occupy current space on farms (Conserve Energy Future, para. 1).
Wind turbines do in fact provide clean, renewable energy; however, when placed in birds migratory paths, they lead to the decrease of bird populations. As reported by the American Bird Conservatory, “the United States now has 48,000 wind turbines installed from coast to coast, with many more planned. Those turbines killed nearly 600,000 birds in 2012, from Golden Eagles to migratory songbirds” (American Bird Conservatory, 2017, para. 2). Although wind power is a clean energy source, the environmental impact on birds can result in dramatic changes in the stability of the ecosystem. Since the government is expanding efforts to pursue wind energy and move away from non-renewable energy, they are not “[finding] these areas that have high concentrations of migrants and [informing] the wind industry of the risks of building in those areas” (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, 2015, para. 11). Thus, it is important to highlight the cost-benefit comparison of wind turbines regarding bird species. Birds act as indicator species that demonstrate the environmental health of an ecosystem, so when birds decrease, the stability of the ecosystem also decreases. Through increased government regulation where wind turbines are located in accordance with migratory bird patterns, this negative consequence could be eliminated or reduced.
Not only do wind turbines impede migratory birds patterns, they also generate sound noise and “at a residential distance of 980 ft this may be around 45 dB,” and “at 1 mi distance most wind turbines become inaudible” (General Electric Company, 2007, para. 3). Residents who live close to a wind turbines experience the low-frequency noise which can have many negative health impacts, such as “stress, fatigue, nausea, tinnitus or ringing in the ears, diabetes, and even cardiovascular disease” (Froese, para. 1). Thus, residents are forced to live in these conditions and normally don’t have enough power to change where the turbine is placed. 
Finding a solution to clean energy is not a simple answer, it requires many different angles and must take into account all of the factors. Currently, a company called Sigma Design is innovating the standard wind turbine design and making it more bird-friendly. Whereas traditional blades are difficult for birds to see in flight, their design allows a bird to directly see the wind turbine (Bird-friendly). Through developing new designs, wind turbines will become more efficient, safer, and effective in the long run.
I urge you to consider this: do the benefits outweigh the costs?
References:
1.) American Bird Conservatory. (2017). Go the extra mile for birds. Retrieved from https://abcbirds.org/threat/bird-strikes/
2.) Conserve Energy Future. 7 Pros and Cons of Wind Energy. (2017, February 03). Retrieved from https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/pros-and-cons-of-wind-energy.php
3.)Gulf of Maine Moorings. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2018 from http://gyre.umeoce.maine.edu/data/gomoos/buoy/php/variable_description.php?variable=wind_2_speed
4.)The U.S. Department of Energy. How a Wind Turbine Works. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2018 from https://energy.gov/articles/how-wind-turbine-works
5.) Gulf of Maine Moorings. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2018 from http://gyre.umeoce.maine.edu/data/gomoos/buoy/php/variable_description.php?variable=wind_2_speed
6.) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. (2015, March 21). Impacts of wind on wildlife. Retrieved from https://www.fws.gov/radar/windpower/
7.) Environmental impact of wind power [Wiki entry]. (2017, March 20). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_wind_power
8.) Froese, Michael. (2016, March 01). Does turbine noise affect human health? A look at the literature. Retrieved January from https://www.windpowerengineering.com/business-news-projects/does-turbine-noise-affect-human-health-a-look-at-the-literature/
9.) Bird-friendly compressed air wind turbines. (2012, September 03). Retrieved from https://www.designboom.com/technology/bird-friendly-compressed-air-wind-turbines-by-raymond-green/
Image/Video Sources:
-http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/201303/as_i_see_it_pennsylvania_must_shift_to_renewable_energy.html
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXGj4t2LSEY
-https://www.birdnote.org/show/protecting-birds-wind-power
Keri,
I found your article to be very interesting as it posed a valid question I hadn’t considered. In my EGEE class we recently learned about wind power and I was immediately turned on to it since it is so much better for the environment than fossil fuels and its energy return on investment is higher than a lot of other forms of renewable energy (most notably solar power). However, the thought of it effecting birds never really occurred to me, and honestly, I am having trouble deciding whether or not it is worth it. I hate the idea that human consumption has to have such an immense impact on other life- which is one of the problems with fossil fuels- but I am unsure if using a cleaner energy to help the entire planet is bad because it messes with some species of birds. It is very unfortunate to find out that even something you think is helping the environment is still hurting it in other ways. 🙁 I do not think wind power should be totally disregarded (or even that it can be at this point), but I am wondering if perhaps there could be better places to put the turbines that might not interfere with the migratory patterns as much. I know that the turbines that are placed in oceans are much larger and more energy efficient anyway, so possibly they could be utilized more than ones on land, as migrating birds seem to fly more over land North to South rather than across oceans. I’m not sure if the turbines are typically placed far away enough from shore for this to even matter. It is great to hear that people are working on making turbines that are easier for the birds to see, though! This was a very thought-provoking post, thank you for bringing an issue to my attention that I had never even considered before.
You certainly bring up a good point that using wind turbines in oceans may be more optimal than on land. I think as a society we have a long way to go to establish clean energy without negative consequences, but for now, it is our best option. Hopefully, through new technology, we can avoid these effects and produce clean energy that helps the environment while supplying our electricity needs.
Hey Keri!
This is definitely a great post. I loved reading your blog as it was really informative. I never thought of wind turbines being effective enough to produce energy without any drawbacks. I think that since the equipment is quite costly, its maintenance is also costly, and this, kind of, restricts many people to implement the idea of wind energy. Also, I could see that you did your best effort to make the idea of wind energy, its components, drawbacks, benefits, and other materials clear to us. I would love if the government could come up with ways to make this concept of using wind turbines effective.
Thanks a lot for writing this post.
I look forward to reading more from you.