Wind Energy & the Environment
Wind energy works, is increasingly cost-effective, has a net positive environmental impact, and is compatible with most existing land uses. The links below touch on the topic of wind’s environmental benefits and impacts.
COMMUNITY VOICES: The troubling Budweiser ad on Tejon Ranch
By
Paul Gipe
Peddling green works. After watching Budweiser’s 2019 Superbowl commercial– the Clydesdales racing through wheat fields on Tejon Ranch, with wind turbines turning serenely in the background–I couldn’t help but think, “Maybe Bud isn’t so bad after all.”
Up in the Air–Be a voice for change
By
Prince Edward County County Sustainability Group
Up in the Air is a short film about the wind turbine project in Prince Edward County. For nearly two decades, a group of County residents have been supporting wind energy initiatives. The White Pines project near Milford looks to be the answer to that quest. But with four of the nine turbines up and ready to capture wind energy, the provincial government recently halted the project.
Offshore wind turbines have forced loons into smaller habitats, study says
By
Alicia Moore
A new study published in the Journal of Environmental Management has found that offshore wind turbines in the German North Sea are having an effect on where birds fly and land. As a result, loons have been squeezed into a smaller resting spot along their spring migration route. This could make it harder for these ducks to find food.
Wedge-tailed eagles killed by wind turbines at Yaloak South wind farm in Moorabool Shire
By
Jolyon Attwooll
The renewable energy company Pacific Hydro confirmed to The Courier that three deaths of the eagle – Australia’s largest bird of prey – have been recorded at the wind farm since it began operating in Moorabool Shire last year.
Pioneering Bat Deterrent System from NRG Systems Reduces Bat Fatalities by 54 Percent at Texas Wind Energy Facility
By
Nrg Systems
A trial of its ultrasonic acoustic Bat Deterrent System reduced overall bat fatalities at the Los Vientos Wind Energy Facility in Starr County, Texas, by 54 percent. The results of the test prove that NRG Systems’ technology is an effective tool for reducing mortality of certain species of bats caused by wind turbines.
Is the wind turbine really a ‘new apex predator’?
By
The presence of wind turbines can reduce the number of birds and lizards in an area, a new study has found. Should we start tearing the farms down?
