3,000 MW of wind power to added in 2007
Wind power has some definite advantages as an energy source, being readily available and infinitely renewable and definitely pollution free. It's also increasingly popular with 3,000 MW of new wind powered generating capacity being installed in the Unites States in 2007. That's enough power to feed 750,000-900,000 homes. Two thirds of the new capacity is being installed in Texas which is making a major push into wind power with the 2,000 MW being added there enough to displace 3 million tons of CO2 annually. Of course course even wind isn't the perfect energy source. Wind turbines depend on the air actually moving in order to produce electricity, and unlike the water flowing through a dam wind tends to be less than continuous. That means that the energy needs to be stored for downtimes. When the wind does blow, the turbines spin and anything moving through the path of the blades tends to meet an untimely demise. As more wind turbines are put up more birds and bats are getting killed.
[Source: American Wind Energy Association]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave Schmetterer 11:13AM (5/13/2007)
Your comments on wind energy killing birds is simply irresponsible.
It's your byline, do your own research, and by that I mean consult an expert or at least read multiple sources with differing opinions. One wind farm killing a lot of birds does not imply causality. Its more complicated than "spinning blades in the air = dead birds".
Yes, birds and bats flying into turbines is a problem, but even the Audubon society supports wind energy, with the caveat that the proper wildlife studies are done in advance of construction, and here is the key part - for each installation. Wind farms in migration routes - not a good idea. But even the wind turbines in Atlantic City, right near the coast and a large wildlife refuge have only had a few avian fatalities.
How do I know this? I heard the person in charge of the facility speak at a conference. He says his cats kill more birds than the turbines do - which is nothing compared to the number of birds that fly into glass windows and die every day.
The real threats to birds? Cats. Glass Windows.
And yes, habitat loss to global warming.
There are lots of reasons for and against wind energy, but to just wonk about birds hitting blades is a misuse of the microphone AutoblogGreen has lent you.
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Dave Schmetterer 11:16AM (5/13/2007)
One more thing, I don't think the AWEA would like to be quoted as a source for your last paragraph when nothing there is reflected in their press release. Listing your source as the AWEA makes it appear as though you got that information from them.
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oobflyer 11:44AM (5/13/2007)
I live in an area where there are a lot of wind-mills and even in the high winds the large blades turn very slowly - it's not like an electric fan that is spinning rapidly. I can't imaging that any bird, or bat, would fly into a blade.
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SuperQ 11:46AM (5/13/2007)
I see this kind of bad editorial comments on many of the Weblogs, Inc sites all the time. Engadget is probably the worst. I rarely see an apology or retraction of these statements either.
Even slashdot has more responsible journalism.
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frank78 12:08PM (5/13/2007)
Funny. I think all us commenters have issue with the whole 'birds issue.' Well the number one human caused killer of birds I believe is buildings. Anyone here ready to stop making buildings??
Or perhaps I should stop walking outside since I do kill an awful lot of ants and worms when I walk.
I am intrigued to see what happens more so with micro turbines on the top of buildings, since it takes little wind to get them to spin. How about a few more articles on that bloggers.
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Joseph 2:21PM (5/13/2007)
"3,000 MW of wind power to added in 2007"
Hasn't anyone noticed that the title is spelled incorrectly!!!
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Howard Lee Harkness 4:45PM (5/13/2007)
"Of course course even wind isn't the perfect energy source."
This morning, I drove past one of those Texas windmills -- it was sitting perfectly still in the calm air.
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pamela lorraine 6:56PM (5/13/2007)
solar and wind power can only be considered offset power they can help reduce they use of hydrcarbon power but not replace it.but having said that the more you generate using these methods the less hydrocarbons you need remebering that hydrocarbons are not renewable and neither is nuclear. i do think i is important to put more resources into cleaning up the coal power industry and developing alternative energy sources geothermal is certainly interesting.
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Dave Schmetterer 7:03PM (5/13/2007)
Pamela,
It's thinking like yours that keeps the technology down. Wind and solar can provide for the bulk of our energy needs, but we need to install a lot of it, and yes, we need backups for when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. The fact is, the power is there, it is up to us to capture, distribute, and store it.
It just takes a little vision.
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PeakVT 12:34AM (5/14/2007)
Still no corrections. Do the posters ever read the comments around here?
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Brian Hague 12:39AM (5/14/2007)
$.14 -$.16 /KWH... that's what we pay in Texas... It's not free energy, I get to pay for it, as well as everyone else here...
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Howard Lee Harkness 1:01PM (5/14/2007)
Windmills have long been derived as "birdchoppers", but bird-kill is a relatively minor problem compared to bat-kill. http://environment.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn11834&feedId=earth_rss20
Makes me wonder what the unintended consequences will be for widespread use of photovoltaics (which could happen, given the rapid pace of improvement in that technology). Every form of energy comes with a price, and it is just as important to use less as it is to go carbon-neutral (or carbon-sequestering). Maybe more so.
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Howard Lee Harkness 1:02PM (5/14/2007)
typo correction: derided, not derived.
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Dave Schmetterer 7:35PM (5/14/2007)
Howard,
Bat kill is a problem - but again, its limited to specific installations - not every wind turbine attracts and kills bats.
Its a problem that is being worked on.
Also, in my research, there are no extinctions looming for bats, but it is regarded as a problem, especially in the Appalachians, and is being treated as such.
My real point, is we need to focus on the positive. Wind energy is clean! Fossil fuel energy threatens entire populations and species through its contribution to global warming. Lets put the problem in perspective and get behind wind power.
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PeakVT 9:33PM (5/14/2007)
"Every form of energy comes with a price, and it is just as important to use less as it is to go carbon-neutral (or carbon-sequestering). Maybe more so."
"Negawatts" is probably the nation's most important resource, if the least sexy. But we still need juice from somewhere. The thing to do is to look (much harder than we are currently) for the power source that has the least amount of negatives. Right now wind looks pretty good on balance.
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