e-ISSN: 2582-5208

International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science

Volume:03/Issue:05/May-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com

MITIGATION OF WIND ENERGY INDUCED ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS

Sanjana M*1, Tanish Ravindra*2, Rohan HN*3, Shreyas RK*4, Vikas IS*5
*1,2,3,4,5 Undergraduate students, Department of Mechanical Engineering, CMR Institute of technology,
Bangalore, India.
ABSTRACT
Wind power is one of the most cost-effective, fastest growing and arguably underused sources of renewable
energy currently available to us. It is also considered as one of the greenest because wind turbines do not
produce any harmful emissions during run time. Due to this, the common misconception about wind energy is
that it has negligible impact on the environment. Wind farms have their very own share of problems, which
when not addressed, can lead to larger threats on the surroundings. In this paper, the authors review the
challenges and provide effective solutions to mitigate them.
Keywords: wind energy, renewable energy, mitigation, environmental impact.
I. INTRODUCTION
Due to the significant rise in population as well as growth in urbanization, the demand for energy is
substantially increasing. Over 90% of the world population is exposed to hazardous levels of pollution. The
primary factor leading to pollution as well as global warming is the excessive usage of fossil fuels. To reduce the
consumption of fossil fuels, the governments and professional industrialists have begun relaying on other
sources of energy. Hence, they have turned their attention towards the revolution of clean energy such as solar
energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy and wind energy.
As one of the most sophisticated renewable energy technologies, wind power has seen a drastic advancement
during the past two decades. Wind power is the potential energy possessed by the wind currents. Since it is a
reliable source and there is negligible carbon emission, wind power has an optimistic demand in the future as
well.
Wind energy, like any other form of energy, has its own share of negative impact on the environment. In this
paper, the authors analyzed the potential drawbacks of wind power farms on environment by accumulating
evidences from pre-existing cases and identified solutions to address these issues. This review provides the
importance of these solutions and also the vital considerations that need to be made for the welfare of the
fragile ecological system.
II. WIND ENERGY INDUCED CHALLENGES AND ISSUES
Safety is one of the crucial priorities for the industrial planners and designers. It is ideal for the teams to predict
the worst conditions and deal with them. Wind energy has a great toll on its surroundings. The list of harmful
effects of wind turbines on the ecosystem are mentioned below.
Wind turbine noises-
The construction of wind farms generates noise that poses a potential threat to civilization and wildlife. At 1000
feet distance from the farm, a subject is exposed to about 45 dB of noise. This could lead to increase in the level
of irritation and cortisol, which in turn results in poor quality of life. The noise is classified into two types,
namely, mechanical noises and aerodynamic noises.
Visual impact-
Due to the large size and area that the wind farms occupy, the aesthetic value of the surroundings is reduced.
New pathways are created to facilitate accessibility to the farms. Deforestation is required to provide
unobstructed wind flow in the farm. This often causes soil erosions. Overall, the scenic view is toned down.
Influence on radar system-
Surveillance radars are often affected by the large size of the wind farms. An average sized wind farm placed at
vicinity to the airport and military base has a significant impact on the radars. This would affect the precision at
which the aircrafts are being traced. Interference is generally caused by generator, tower and blades of the
wind turbines.

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 e-ISSN: 2582-5208
International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:05/May-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
Effect on birds and bats-
The average height of a windmill is around 100 meters. At this height, the wind farm poses a great threat to
birds and bats. The aviation obstruction lights tend to attract the birds which leads to higher number of
collision death rates. Wind farms provides obstruction on the pathways of migrating birds and bats which
results in new paths. The new routes tend to affect the survival chances of the birds by exposing them to new
foreign threats.
Decommissioning offshore wind farms-
Safety, economic and environmental factors need to be considered during decommissioning of offshore wind
farms. The marine life is displaced to a new region, which leads to an increase in demand and competition for
nourishment in the new region. Removal of the foundation without causing damage to the sea beds is
unachievable.
Climate change-
Wind turbines often affects the weather in its vicinity. The wind farms influence the day-time and night-time
temperatures by making the nights warmer and the days cooler. The farms also affect the direction and the
intensity of the wind.
Indirect requirements of fossil fuels-
Wind energy, despite being considered as clean energy, is indirectly dependent on fossil fuels. The parts of the
turbine are all manufactured by fossil fuels. Fossil fuels also play a key role in transportation of the parts to the
site of the farm. Diesel, which is one of the popular forms of fossil fuel, is used in assembling and lifting of the
parts as well as during decommissioning of the windmill. This leads to rise in harmful gases in the atmosphere.
Disposal of parts-
Majority parts of the wind turbine can be reused except for parts like the wind turbine blades. These blades are
about 50 meters in length, which makes it harder to dispose. The traditional method of disposing the blades
was by filling it in landfills. This approach is neither practical nor efficient. It negatively impacts the
environment. Hence, the industrialists have invested a great deal in finding an alternative solution for this
problem.

Ice throw-
Ice will be formed on a wind turbine’s rotor blades in cold climates or at high altitude. Ice buildup slows a
turbine’s rotation and will be sensed by the turbines control system causing the turbine to shut down. Apart
from reducing the performance of wind turbine, ice shedding also affects the safety of the people in the vicinity.
Ice shedding is the fall of accumulated ice from the blades of the turbine due to forces or change in temperature.
Frequent severe icing can cut a wind farm’s annual energy production by over 20%. Also, turbine parts wear
out from the imbalance caused due to uneven formation of ice on the blades.

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 e-ISSN: 2582-5208
International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:05/May-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com

III. MITIGATION OF WIND ENERGY INDUCED ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS

Wind turbine noises-
The most common solution to this problem is the strategical positioning of the wind farm at a sufficient
distance from the civilization to maintain minimal sound level. The noise is negligible around 1500 meters. The
most ideal solution is to position a sensing device which can sense the low frequency waves and can generate a
contradictory wave to negate it. Another solution is to provide dampers and insulators in the form of tool kits to
civilization which are exposed to noises well above the threshold limit.
Visual impact-
This is one of the few aspects where solutions are not capable of making a big difference due to the large size of
the farms. But there are several steps and measures that can be taken for the betterment of the ecosystem. Low
height vegetation, that does not interfere with the wind, must be placed in and around the farms for cattle
grazing and to prevent degradation of the soil. There can be slight changes made to the tone of the wind
turbines to prevent it from contrasting with the surroundings.
Influence on radar systems-
Typically, it is ideal for the industrialist planners to position the wind farm where interference is negligible. But
sometimes, when the location is non-negotiable, the wind farms can be provided with deflectors and repeaters
to aid in proper functioning of the radar systems. Choice of material plays a crucial role in interference.
Replacement of steel blades with synthetic materials tends to lower the disturbances.
Effect on birds and bats-
The wind farms should be seated in areas that do not hinder the paths of large number of migrating birds. For
this, the planning teams must have an in-depth knowledge about birds and bird culture. The farms must be
provided with radars which can detect the approaching aircrafts and initiate the aviation obstruction light. This
lowers the chances of attraction of birds towards the light throughout the day which in turn reduces the
collision rate. Position a bat sensor which when triggered produces bionic and electromagnetic sounds which
scares away the bats. Human beings are not capable of perceiving this sound.
Decommissioning of offshore wind farms-
The lifespan of a wind farm is expected to be 20-25 years. To minimize the effect of decommissioning of these
wind farms on the environment, it is mandatory that the lifespan of these wind farms meet their full-service
period. The lifespan can be increased as per requirement. Partial repowering or full repowering can be
considered where in the new components are added with majority of the systems remaining unaltered.

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 e-ISSN: 2582-5208
International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:05/May-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com

Climate change-
Windmills often affect the climate in its vicinity. It is capable of making the nights warmer and the days cooler.
The foremost solution must be to position the wind farms in a calculated manner. That is, where the
surroundings could benefit from warmer nights and cooler days. The climate changes can be reduced by using
efficient rotors and well-designed blades.
Disposal of parts-
85% of the turbine components, however, can be recycled or reused. But the fiberglass blades remain a big
problem. These blades are difficult to recycle and hence are cut up into smaller pieces and disposed into
landfills.
One way to solve this issue is by turning the blades into pellets or fiber boards. For a longtime fiber glass blades
were considered non-recyclable. Global fiberglass solutions (GFS) have created a process to recycle these
blades.
Their proprietary material science has allowed them to convert wind turbine blades into feedstock for the
manufacturing of new recycled products.
The blades can first be cut into two or three pieces and further go through breakdown processes and turn the
blades into fines and fibers. Fines and fibers can then be used to manufacture pellets and also panels. These
pellets can be used in many different applications similar to plastic pellets but greater quality. They can be used
to produce wind turbine tower parts. They are mold and rot resistant.
Ice throw-
One method of controlling ice throw in the wind turbines is by applying a coat of ice phobic substance on the
turbine blades. It will reduce icing and increase heat absorption. This method is cost effective and highly
efficient. But a few coatings will slowly become less active and they will need maintenance and re-application
over time or after a serious icing event. The more effective method is to include electro thermal devices such as
heated air or built-in electric foils. These electric foils can be activated when required.
The turbines will automatically shut down if ice forms on the blades so it would be advantageous to tailor blade
heating for prevention of ice buildup on blade's tip region.

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International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science
Volume:03/Issue:05/May-2021 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com

IV. CONCLUSION
Keeping the negative aspects of wind energy in mind, the future projects should be developed in a way that
avoids and diminishes the environmental issues. More than 80 countries in the world are generating power
using wind farms thereby giving rise to larger number of researchers, innovators and environmental issues. At
the present level, there are no solutions to completely eliminate few of the problems. Even though few of the
above listed solutions seem adequate, it is just to mitigate the issues. In the future, with the increase in
innovations and researches, it is possible to eliminate these issues as well as tackle other challenges such as
high capital investment, larger size and low efficiencies. Wind energy is a good alternative to fossil fuels and if
the problems are kept to a minimal, it has an exceptional potential in the future.
V. REFERENCES
[1] Tarang Agarwal, Shivank Verma & Ashutosh Gaurh, “Issues and Challenges of Wind Energy”, International
Conference on Electrical, Electronics, and Optimization Techniques (ICEEOT) – 2016.
[2] R. Saidur, N.A. Rahim, M.R. Islam, K.H. Solangi, “Environmental impact of wind energy”, Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews · June 2011.
[3] Kaoshan Dai, Anthony Bergot, Chao Liang, Wei-Ning Xiang, Zhenhua Huang, “Environmental issues
associated with wind energy - A review”, Article in Renewable Energy -March 2015.
[4] Per Hessellund Lauritsen, Birte Hansen, Jesper Kyed Larsen “Technological solutions to reduce the
environmental impacts of wind-energy systems”, report from Megavind may 2016.
[5] Image credits- courtesy of Google images.

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