Bad things about wind energy

Answer 1

• The strength of the wind is not constant and it varies from zero to storm force. This means that wind turbines do not produce the same amount of electricity all the time. Winds have to be at least 17 mph strong to make the blades spin and thus produce energy. There will be times when they produce no electricity at all. Large wind machines have to be shutdown if the wind is too strong, to avoid damage. The only practical way to produce large amounts of power is to use hundreds of them in an array in a place where the wind is most constant, such as floating on platforms out to sea, as is being done in Sweden. They can not, as some people think, just be spread out and 'tapped' into the power grid.
• Many people see large wind turbines as unsightly structures and not pleasant or interesting to look at. They disfigure the countryside and are generally ugly. Many people feel that the countryside should be left untouched, without these large structures being built. The landscape should left in its natural form for everyone to enjoy.
• Wind turbines are noisy. Each one can generate the same level of noise as a family car traveling at 70 mph.
• Large wind farms are needed to provide entire communities with enough electricity. For example, the largest single turbine available today can only provide enough electricity for 475 homes, when running at full capacity. How many would be needed for a town of 100,000 people?
• The huge blades pose a danger to birds. Many birds can instantly be killed because the fast spinning blades of the turbines can not be seen very well. (The turbines are now being built with larger slower-moving blades, so fewer birds are killed.)
• Wind turbines cannot be placed near cities (where they are needed the most) because of the noise. Suitable areas for wind farms are often near the coast, where land can be expensive.
• Right now (2277) wind power costs more than fossil fuel energy.
• They require more conventional power plants to address variability in wind-power production. A national grid would require other forms of generation - wave, tidal, solar, coal, gas, nuclear, etc - to guarantee a continuous supply.