Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Wind Energy Final PDF
Wind Energy Final PDF
Wind Energy Final PDF
Wind-Energy Projects
As wind energy development continues to expand, federal, state and local agencies
should adopt a consistent approach to evaluating the planning, regulation, and location of
wind-energy projects. This National Research Council report proposes a framework that can
help in evaluating tradeoffs between the benefits of new wind-energy projects and risks of
adverse environmental impacts before projects begin.
T
here has been rapid growth in the assess potentially negative impacts—including
construction of wind-powered threats to wildlife and sightlines—and evaluate
electricity generating facilities tradeoffs between benefits and possible adverse
over the past 25 years in the United States. As environmental impacts.
the nation considers options for future energy The National Research Council was asked
development, environmental questions have by Congress to review the positive and negative
emerged as important considerations. Wind- environmental impacts of wind-energy develop-
energy facilities emit no atmospheric pollutants ment, including effects on landscapes, views,
and are driven by a renewable source, addressing wildlife, habitats, air pollution, and greenhouse
multiple environmental concerns such as air gases.
quality and climate change. But the expansion of
such facilities can carry adverse environmental Federal Agencies Lack Experience
impacts.
Because Decisions Made Locally
Wind energy provided about 1% of U.S.
electricity in 2006 (Figure 1 shows distribution Wind-energy projects exist in 36 states.
of installed capacity). An often-mentioned California has had them since the early 1980s.
advantage of using wind-energy facilities is the Most wind turbines are approved through local
reduction of thermal and atmospheric pollution zoning boards and state authorities. But most
associated with fossil fuel-based energy state governments, the Federal Energy Regula-
facilities. According to current projections tory Commission, the Department of the Interior,
for use of wind energy in 2020, use of the and the Environmental Protection Agency do
technology could reduce the energy sector’s not have extensive experience with anticipating,
emissions of carbon dioxide by about 4.5% in reviewing, and assessing their impacts. The de-
2020. However, more steps need to be taken to velopment of a more extensive knowledge base
Figure 1. Total
installed U.S.
wind-energy
capacity in
megawatts:
11,603 mega-
watts as of
Dec 31, 2006.
Source:
American Wind
Energy
Association
2007.
is needed so state and federal agencies can evaluate Potential Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects
these impacts in order to better carry out their mandate on Property Values
to protect species and to weigh tradeoffs between the
technology’s environmental benefits and impacts. Perceptions of wind-energy projects, like other
The report urges federal and state agencies to potentially controversial developments, vary depend-
take the environmental impacts of wind-energy more ing on the characteristics of the surrounding communi-
seriously as part of planning, locating, and regulating ty. Residents living near proposed facilities may resist
these facilities. This is because some bird and bat col- having their views and sightlines altered. The potential
lisions with spinning blades and towers—especially nuisance created by flickering shadows resulting from
along migration corridors—may begin to threaten spinning blades has been raised in other countries with
local populations of some species if wind facilities wind-energy facilities but has not been a significant
rapidly expand over the next 20 years. The report issue to date in the United States.
notes that bat populations in the nation’s Mid-Atlantic Several research studies failed to detect an
and several other regions average effect of wind-
of the country may be energy facilities on
particularly at risk. property values within
12000
a ten-mile radius of
Effects of Wind- the sites. Despite the
10000 difficulty of reaching
Energy Projects on U .S . W in d P o w e r
C a p a c ity reliable conclusions
Wildlife about property value
8000
Development of impacts, it is possible
wind power is on an to identify some of the
6000 key factors involved.
upswing, particularly in
the past seven years (see Aesthetic impacts could
Figure 2). Out of a total 4000 be important, especially
of perhaps 1 billion birds when a property is
killed annually as a result valuable for a purpose
2000
of human structures, incompatible with
vehicles and activities, wind-energy projects,
somewhere between 0 such as to experience
life in a remote and
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Committee on Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects: Paul Risser (Chair), University of Oklahoma;
Ingrid Burke, University of Colorado; Christopher Clark, Cornell University; Mary English, University of Ten-
nessee; Sidney Gauthreaux, Jr., Clemson University; Sherri Goodman, Center for Naval Analyses; John Hayes,
University of Florida; Arpad Horvath, University of California, Berkeley; Thomas Kunz, Boston University; Lance
Manuel, University of Texas, Austin; Erik Lundtang Petersen, Risø National Laboratory, Denmark; Dale Strick-
land, Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc.; Jean Vissering, Jean Vissering Landscape Architecture; James Roder-
ick Webb, University of Virginia; and Robert Whitmore, West Virginia University
This report brief was prepared by the National Research Council based on the committee’s report.
For more information or copies, contact the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at (202)
334-3060 or visit http://nationalacademies.org/best. Copies of Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy
Projects are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
20001; (800) 624-6242; www.nap.edu.
This study was supported by funds from the Executive Office the President, Council on Envrionmental Quality.
Permission granted to reproduce this brief in its entirety with no additions or alterations.