Kylie Payne

Prof. Hughes
ENGLI-1102
12 May, 2016
Mediation: Wind Energy
As our society progressively consumes more and more energy, it is essential for us to
switch over to cleaner, more renewable energy sources than coal and oil before they run out.
Recently, our own senate renewed funding for wind energy here to continue the exploration into
various clean and renewable energy resources. While newer, cleaner energy sources are
wonderful for the environment and the economy, these benefits can still come with
environmental costs or implications. In the case of wind energy, some of the implications are
avian and bat fatalities and aesthetics involving distribution of wind farms over the landscape onshore. Both of these sides need to be considered when structuring future plans for clean,
renewable energy.
Some major appeals of wind energy are not only it's clean and generally environmentally
friendly aspects, but it's potential to save people money on electricity in combination with other
renewable energy sources such as solar energy. The benefits of wind energy in Europe were
explored in a 2013 study which found that 20% of Europe's energy could be produced by wind
turbines by the year 2020 (Popa, Calinoiu). Another study done in 2016 found that countries such
as Germany and Australia have already seen impacts in electricity prices from use of wind and
solar energy. "Australian experiences have shown that a large increase in wind and/or solar

power generation can lead to short-term negative electricity prices even at much lower
penetrations of wind and solar power compared to Germany."(Martinez-Anido, Brinkman,
Hodge).
While the prospect of cheaper electricity prices, even short term, is quite appealing. One
also has to consider the implications on the workers in the American coal industry, which
currently provides more of the U.S. electricity. The coal industry in this country employs many
people and if we were to switch to energy sources such as wind power, there is a high chance that
many of those workers would be laid off as the need for coal powered electricity would be
lessened by renewable energy.
While wind energy tends to effect the environment less than traditional energy sources
(coal and oil), it does have an impact on some species. According to an April 2015 study, certain
avian species are experiencing unusually high numbers of fatalities due to collisions with wind
turbines (Beston, Diffendorfer, Loss, Johnson).
In another study done in March 2014, similar to the one involving avian species, it was
found that large amounts of local and migratory bats are also dying due to fatalities involving
collision with wind turbines. This study found that 72% of noctule bat fatalities in Germany were
caused by wind turbine collision (Lehrnert). This is concerning because there is the imminent
risk of these species endangered due to these frequent collisions with wind turbine blades.
In another study involving bats, Robert Barclay of the University of Calgary found that
most of these collisions between bats and wind turbines is a result of echolocation jamming.
Echolocation is what bats use to sense their surroundings as they are otherwise blind. Wind

turbine spinning jams the bats echolocation resulting in collision because the bat is completely
unable to detect the spinning blades due to the sounds the wind turbine makes(Dodge, Kinney).
The other concern with wind farms is aesthetic pollution. Many people see farms of wind
turbines as being eyesores and noisy. This can be disruptive and undesirable for people living
nearby wind farms, and could possibly result in loss of property value for homes situated near
wind farms (EERE).
The World Health Organization found that their could be negative implications for the
people who are forced to look at wind turbines. They "determined that a "bad view out of a
window" increased the risk for depression by 40%", as well as disturbance during the night
raised depression by the same amount. In the same study wind turbine shadow flicker was also
credited for having caused photosensitive epilepsy seizures, and in those who didn't experience
epilepsy, wind turbine shadow flicker was found to have caused effects like annoyance, and thus
stress resulting from such annoyance (Wind Vigilance).
Other potential benefits of wind farms are climate related, and not only in reducing
climate change. A 2014 study discussed the potential benefits of offshore wind farms,
hypothesizing that they may be able to reduce hurricanes and possibly tornados (Bekiempis). If
this is the case it would be extremely beneficial for wind farms to be built on and off-shore.
There are also many benefits of wind energy involving climate change. In a 2016 study, it was
found that we could seriously decrease the amount of carbon emissions if wind energy as an
alternative energy source is utilized in the United States (Houghton, Bell, Doquet).
Wind energy should not be completely ruled out just because of the threats it poses to
bats and avian wild life, but these threats should be taken into strong consideration when

mapping out prospective wind farms in the future. Some actions that could be taken to improve
issues with avian and bat fatalities is to attempt repopulate any areas with decreasing
populations. This action is necessary because if a species is removed from an ecosystem there is
a risk of other species, such as the bugs bats prey upon becoming overpopulated to a point where
it effects plants, humans, and other species.
It is also important to consider the potential implications on jobs in the coal field, once
the electric market is flooded with renewable clean wind power. Before transitioning into use of
alternative energy, the government must be prepared to provide jobs to the people who were once
a part of the coal industry because it is highly likely that with the decline of coal there will be
many lay offs by the companies which mine for coal. Some of these jobs could even have
something to do with the maintenance or building of wind farms/wind turbines, allowing for a
new job market to open up.
If these steps are taken, the wind power industry could function quite well, with little
hindrances in regards to job loss or potential environmental damage. Unfortunately, there is little
to be done about the aesthetic pollution issue involving wind farms. All that could be done is to
attempt to keep the wind turbines at least out of ear shot of any neighboring homes, or place
these farms in completely isolated areas, which is why off-shore wind farms are a good option
for the U.S., which also wields the added benefit of lessening the damage of hurricanes.
Overall, wind power has the potential to be a viable renewable resource if handled in the
correct way by the government. If it is not handled properly and it's downfalls not regarded, there
will be serious implications for the humans, animals, and nature which surround wind farms

which in turn has the potential to turn wind farms into a dangerous resource in similar ways oil
and coal have become dangerous.
It also is worth mentioning that one single form of energy is not viable, nor is it
sustainable. Wind or solar power alone do not have the ability to completely eliminate our
current need for fossil fuels. As David MacKay expresses in his TEDtalk, it would be very hard
to power even just the country of England on wind and solar power without massive wind or
solar farms. These large farms are particularly undesirable because they would have to reside on
large plots of leveled land, creating large eyesores which disrupt the natural environment.
At the end of his presentation he discusses how we would need to use a mix of nuclear,
wind, and solar energy, but still have to use large plots of land to supply these renewable energy
sources. Though he does not explicitly say it, it is clear from his data that the only viable solution
to the world's impending energy crisis is to cut our use of energy.(MacKay)

Works Cited
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