When wind turbines were first proposed off the coast of Cape Cod in 2002, the objections from many environmentalists were fervent. The 170 towering windmills would kill hundreds of thousands of migrating birds, they feared, and the noise and heat would also disturb marine life below.
But other environmentalists were proponents of the project, arguing that the benefits of a clean, sustainable source of energy offset the danger to wildlife and that mass bird extinctions were less likely than commonly believed. Wind power was a promising new business opportunity in the United States at the time, and most Americans were unsure about the pros and cons.
Although the massive Cape Wind project was approved, it ran into so many roadblocks that it was eventually abandoned.
But wind power did not dissipate with the summer breeze. There are now more than 100,000 turbines dotting the landscape, whirring away in every state of the union and planted off our shores. Together, they are providing almost 7 percent of all electricity generated in America — far more than any other form of sustainable energy. Solar power is making barely more than 1 percent, and geothermal lags even further behind.
Our reliance on wind power is expected to continue growing at double digit rates. It’s a clean, cheap form of energy that works well in many locations.
As for the birds? Well, the concerns are still there. And there’s a lesser known concern over bats. Whenever the mammals fly close to a blade, the whoosh creates a drop in air pressure that kills them — and estimates run as high as 600,000 a year.
But wind farms are evolving. Watch the video to see the new technologies and techniques that are being developed and implemented —and learn about the much bigger, and much cuter, threat to birds.
"bird" - Google News
January 29, 2020 at 03:59AM
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Are wind turbines causing a bird apocalypse in America? - The Hill
"bird" - Google News
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