Debunking Myths
There are many myths about wind energy circulated by those opposed to renewable energy in general or wind turbines in particular. Some are so outlandish that it’s hard to imagine people believe them, others are more subtle requiring a degree of technical background to refute. Since I began my career in this field four decades ago I have tried to focus on the facts–both the promise and pitfalls of wind energy. The links below explore these myths and the topics on which some myths are built.
Tilting at windmills? Trump’s claims about turbines fact-checked
By
External Source
The wind turbines visible from Donald Trump’s Turnberry and Menie golf courses have long enraged the president. At a press conference at his Ayrshire resort announcing a trade deal with the EU this weekend, Trump launched into an unprompted tirade against windfarms, instructing European countries to get rid of theirs. He was visiting Turnberry for the first time since the nearby onshore Kirk Hill windfarm began producing energy from eight turbines. But were his comments about wind power correct?
Jérôme Guillet on Substack
By
Jérôme Guillet
Insightful analysis by an authority on wind energy and energy policy with extensive experience in the offshore wind sector.
Latest Anti-Wind Myths Circulating on the Internet: Clean Green Hoax & Blade Waste Filling up Landfills
By
Paul Gipe
I don’t do a lot of wind energy flim flam debunking these days. I leave that to the next generation. However, I will take up my cudgel reluctantly when my friends throw something egregious in my face. And that happened recently from several different sources: one a FaceBook post, and another from a chain email that’s circulating.
No, there aren’t 14,000 abandoned wind turbines littered across the United States
By
Madison Czopek
“It’s bullshit,” said Paul Gipe, who has published five books on wind energy since 1995 and who has closely studied California’s wind farms. (Now the American Wind Energy Association does that.) Gipe said there have never been 14,000 abandoned wind turbines in California, in the United States, in North America or anywhere in the world. But at one time, there were approximately 14,000 wind turbines in California, total. He says he is “the author of that number” and believes that it is the origin of the 14,000 figure used in the email chain.
US study finds properties near wind farm enjoy huge increase in value
By
Sophie Vorrath
Newly released assessments of nearly 1000 properties in the southern part of El Paso, located near a wind farm southeast of Calhan, found no decrease in property values since the wind farm’s installation – but rather a combined increase in value of $US65.3 million.
Bird Society Leads by Example: Operates Large Wind Turbine at Headquarters
By
Paul Gipe
In early 2016 the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) installed a large wind turbine at their headquarters in central England. The 100-meter (330-foot) tall turbine was installed at the Society’s headquarters in Sandy midway between Milton Keynes and Cambridge.
