How Environmentally Conscious is Wind Power?

Wind power is one of the fastest growing sources of renewable energy. Wind will have a key place in our future electricity generation landscape. Wind turbines do not emit greenhouse gases themselves, therefore making them environmentally friendly. There are some valid concerns about the effect of wind farms and wind turbines on wildlife habitats; however, these issues are mitigated by several steps, taken by both the government and Naveco Power, to ensure that wind farms incur the least disruption possible to an ecosystem. Wind power and its relationship with wildlife is our focus for this blog.   

There are several effects a wind farm or wind turbine has on the environment. The first of these effects is land use. Land use is something people don’t often think about. Often, we see a wind farm on the horizon out a car window and go “that’s cool,” but otherwise we don’t really think too much about it. But chances are, that land has been cleared at least somewhat; a maintenance road has been built, construction has taken place, and new vibrations and noise from a wind turbine exist where a slight breeze was once all there was. All these things alter wildlife habitats to some degree. 

The wind farm and its construction may have displaced animals that used to frequent the area. Birds might now avoid the site or occasionally get struck by the blade of the wind turbine. Bats are affected by the vibration of the turbines, causing great harm to bats that stray too close. Increased human activity in the area may sway land animals away from the area as well. These effects of a wind farm are all very valid and are taken seriously by Naveco Power and the Province of New Brunswick.

Beyond wildlife, it is also important to note that the sound and vibrations created by wind turbines do not adversely affect human health. Naveco Power always has the environment in the foreground of our minds, and our processes and procedures reflect that in our developments. These are all current steps taken specially to mitigate the environmental impact of wind farms on wildlife.

 Of course, some steps must be considered in the future as well. For example, simple actions like staying in tune with the extensive research conducted on the environmental impacts of wind energy on specific species help keep us environmentally conscious. A more complex future step is to consider wind developments in urban areas, where the wildlife has already adjusted, and the impact would be minimal to build a wind turbine in a large industrial area or open urban space. More research and consultation can be conducted to ensure that the siting process for a wind farm will be more efficient and find locales where wind farms can be constructed with a minimal environmental impact. These are more steps that can be taken and should be considered in future wind developments.