Power Outweigh The Do The Pluses Of Wind …klemow.wilkes.edu/Wind.Controversy.18.pdfEuropean Wind...
Transcript of Power Outweigh The Do The Pluses Of Wind …klemow.wilkes.edu/Wind.Controversy.18.pdfEuropean Wind...
Do The Pluses Of Wind Power Outweigh The
Negative Impacts?
By: Thomas Bowen, Alfonso Merelo, Lyndsey Shay & Michaela Spaid
Introduction❖ Wind Power
❖ Wind Turbine
❖ "Wind Energy" or "Wind Power"
How Does Wind Energy Work?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DILJJwsFl3w
Major Types
❖ Horizontal-axis Turbines
❖ Vertical-axis Turbines
❖ Ducted Wind Turbines
❖ Onshore or Offshore
Horizontal-axis Turbines
Vertical-axis Turbines
Ducted Wind Turbines
Onshore Offshore
Clean Energy Source
❖ Fueled by the wind = no cost
❖ No pollution into the air like burning fossil fuels
❖ No carbon emissions being released in the air
❖ Relies on the renewable power of wind
Economic
❖ Maintenance ❖ Capital Investment
➢ Land/Farms➢ Capital assets or fixed assets
■ Manufacturing the plants■ Machinery needed
➢ Dominated by the turbine itself
❖ Auxiliary Costs➢ Foundation and Grid connection
Economic Continued...
❖ Average Turbine Costs➢ Home or Farm Scale Wind Turbines
➢ Commercial Wind Turbines
Economic Benefits
❖ Boost local economy
❖ Year- round jobs
❖ New tourism opportunities
❖ New eco-tourism destination
○ Example: Palm Springs, CA: Wind Farm has nearly 10,000 visitors per year
Job Creation
❖ The industry currently supports more than 50,000 jobs in services such as manufacturing, installation, and maintenance in almost every state
❖ Major job creator❖ America’s veterans play an important role in creating the highly-skilled wind power workforce
Political
❖ Sustainability of Wind Energy❖ Remote Locations❖ Positive Impacts of Wind Energy
➢ Cost - Effective➢ Renewable, Clean Fuel Source➢ Creation of Jobs
Social
❖ Visual Impact➢ Obstruction of views➢ Not visually appealing
❖ Cumulative Visual Impact➢ Result of:
■ Number of wind farms and distance between each farm■ Turbine models and farm design
❖ Developing Worlds➢ Sign of progress and novelty
Social Continued…
❖ Noise Impact➢ Mechanical and Aerodynamic➢ Varies depending on:
■ Layout of wind farm■ Model of turbines■ Topography ■ Speed and direction of wind■ Background noise
➢ Individual Noise Tolerance
Environmental Impact
❖ Loss of habitat for birds/aquatic animals
❖ Change of tidal currents
❖ Potentially harming endangered species living in ocean/on land
❖ Electrical service platforms holding 30,000 gallons of transformer oil could potentially cause oil
spill
❖ Disrupt recreational and and commercial fishing
❖ No guarantee of sustained winds
Threat To Wildlife
❖ Birds and Bats➢ National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC)
■ Deaths from collisions with the wind turbine propellers■ Different changes in the air pressure
● Due to the constant spinning of the turbines■ Causes less than 0.01 percent of all human-related bird deaths in the United States
➢ Marine Life■ Injury
● Above and below water
Threat to Humans
❖ “Wind-Turbine Syndrome” or Wind Farm Syndrome➢ Effects
■ Headaches■ Sleep Problems■ Night terrors■ Learning disabilities in children■ Ringing in the ears■ Mood Problems■ Concentration and memory problems■ Issues with equilibrium■ Dizziness■ Nausea
Is Wind Energy Reliable?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObvdSmPbdLg
Pros
❖ Clean energy source❖ Renewable❖ Creates jobs❖ Energy produced can be used to send
power to other towns❖ Unlike power plants or greenhouse gasses,
energy harnessed isn’t harmful to its atmosphere
❖ Natural fuel, does not have to be artificially manufactured
❖ Threat to wildlife❖ Noise Impact❖ Wind turbine syndrome❖ Visual impact ❖ Reliability of wind❖ Shuts down when winds reach 55 mph❖ Cost
Cons
Do we think the pluses of wind power outweigh the negative?
❖ Too many negative impacts all across the board that can be very detrimental to the environment
❖ Natural source of wind is a good idea but are poorly executed with turbines
Works Cited
“Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy.” Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy | Department of Energy. Web. 16 April 2017.
“Environmental Impacts of Wind Power.” Union of Concerned Scientists. Web. 16 April 2017.
European Wind Energy, Association. Wind Energy - the Facts : A Guide to the Technology, Economics and Future of Wind Power. Routledge, 2009. EBSCOhost, Web. 16 April 2017.
McNerney, Gerald and Martin Cheek. Clean Energy Nation : Freeing America from the Tyranny of Fossil Fuels. AMACOM, 2012. EBSCOhost. Web. 16 April 2017
Rap, Keenan W. “ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL IMPACTS OF WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT.” International Finance Corporation. Web. 16 April 2017.
Walker, R. P., & Swift, A. (2015). Wind energy essentials: societal, economic, and environmental impacts. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Ebook. 16 April 2017.
“Wind Turbine Syndrome and Vibroacoustic Disease. “ Wind Wise - Massachusetts. 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 16 April 2017.