050629 myths vs facts fact sheet

7/29/2019 050629 Myths vs Facts Fact Sheet

1/7

Wind Power Myths vs. Facts

AswindpowergeneratesmoreelectricityintheU.S.andmovesintonewareasofthecountry,morepeoplearebeingintroducedtowindturbinesintheircommunities.Windpowerisstillarelativelynewtechnology,andanumberofmythssomebasedonoldtechnologies,somebasedonmisunderstandingsareendlesslyrepeatedbyopponentsofwindpower.Thisdocumentdispelssomeofthemostcommonmythsaboutwindpowerwithrealfacts. MYTH --- Wind Turbines Are a Nuisance

TurbinesAreNoisyFact: Wind turbines are quiet.Anoperatingmodernwindfarmatadistanceof750to1000feetisnonoisierthanakitchenrefrigeratororamoderatelyquietroom.Thesoundturbinesproduceissimilartoalightwhooshingorswishingsound,andmuchmorequietthanothertypesofmodern-dayequipment.Eveninruralorlow-densityareas,wherethereislittleadditionalsoundtomaskthatofthewindturbines,thesoundoftheblowingwindisoften

louder.Exceptionstoquietoperatingturbinescanoccurintwoinstanceswitholderturbinesfromthe1980sandwithcontemporaryturbinesinsometypesofhillyterrain.Modernwindturbineshavebeendesignedtodrasticallyreducethenoiseofmechanicalcomponentssothemostaudiblenoiseisthesoundofthewindinteractingwiththerotorblade.However,insomehillyterrainwhereresidencesarelocatedinsheltereddipsorhollowsdownwindfrom

turbines,turbinesoundsmaycarryfurtherandbemoreaudible.Thiseffectcangenerallybeanticipatedandavoidedinthedevelopmentprocessthroughadequatesetbacksfromhomes.

TurbineLightingIsExcessiveFact: Lights at wind farms are non-intrusive, and improvements in design will make them evenless so as the technology expands.TheFederalAviationAdministration(FAA)recommendslightingformoststructuresmorethan200feetinheighttoensureaviationsafety.


2/7

2

WindPowerMythsvs.Facts

ThewindindustryisworkingwiththeFAAtotestsafeandnon-intrusivelightingplansforwindfarms.

NearbyResidencesWillBeAffectedbyShadowFlickerFact:Shadowflickeristhetermusedtodescribewhathappenswhenrotatingturbinebladescomebetweentheviewerandthesun,causingamovingshadow. Shadow flicker is almostnever a problem for residences near new wind farms, and in the few cases where it could be, itis easily avoided.Forsomewhohavehomesclosetowindturbines,shadowflickercanoccurundercertaincircumstancesandcanbeannoyingwhentryingtoreadorwatchtelevision.However,theeffectcanbepreciselycalculatedtodeterminewhetheraflickeringshadowwillfallonagivenlocationnearawindfarm,andhowmanyhoursinayearitwilldoso.Potentialproblemscanbeeasilyidentifiedusingthesemethods,andsolutionsrangefromprovidinganappropriatesetbackfromtheturbinestoplantingtreestodisrupttheeffect.Normally,shadowflickershouldnotbeaproblemintheU.S.becauseatU.S.latitudes(exceptAlaska)thesunsangleisnotverylowinthesky.Ifanyeffectisexperienced,itisgenerallyshort-lived,asinafewhoursoverayearstime.

TurbinesInterferewithTelevisionandOtherCommunicationsSignalsFact: Interference is rare and easily avoided.Largewindturbinesinstalledatwindfarmscaninterferewithradioortelevisionsignalsifaturbineisinthelineofsight.Improvingareceiversantennaorinstallingrelaystotransmitthesignalaroundthewindfarmsolvesthisproblem;bothsolutionsarecommonpracticeinmodernwindenergydevelopment.

TurbinesAreUglyFact: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Manypeoplefeelwindturbinesaremajestic.Windfarmdevelopershavecomputer-modelingtoolsthataccuratelydepictvirtualviewsfromgivenspotsinthesurroundingarea.Carefuldesignofawindprojectcanalleviatemanyvisualconcerns.

MYTH --- Wind Turbines Do Not Benefit Local Comm unities

WindProjectsHarmPropertyValuesFact: There is no evidence that the presence of a commercial windfarm within sight of a propertysystematically decreases that propertys value.Infact,anationwidestudyconductedin2003surveyedpropertynearmultiplewindfarmsandfoundthatnotonlydowindfarmsnotharmpropertyvalues,butthatinsomecasesthevaluesincreased.

WindProjectsDepressTourismFact: There is no evidence toindicate that wind turbines drivetourists away.Insomeareas,windturbinesevendrawtourists.Localgovernmentsfrequentlyworkwithdeveloperstoinstallinformationstandsandsignsnearwindfarms,aswellaspull-offareas,similartoscenicoverlooks,fromnearbyroads.Surveysoftouristshave

There is so much demand to view the windturbines that the county is creating a pull-offarea and working with the project owner tocreate an informational kiosk. The wind projecthas become a destination spot for touristsvisiting nearby ski resorts and parks.RobertBurns,ExecutiveDirector

TuckerCountyDevelopmentAuthority,WestVirginia


3/7

3


foundthatthepresenceofwindturbineswouldnotaffectthedecisionofmostvisitorstoreturn.ThethousandsofturbinesinPalmSprings,California,havehadnonegativeimpactonthetourismbusiness;onthecontrary,thelocaltourismcenterorganizesbustourstothewindfarms.

WindProjectsDontContributetotheLocalTaxBaseFact: Installing millions of dollars of equipment in most areas greatly increases the local taxesassessed, and wind farms are no exception.Windfarmssupportthelocaltaxbase,helpingtopayforschoolsandroadsfarmorethantheirimpacttolocalfacilities.Onelarge(108-turbine)projectinruralProwersCounty,Colorado,increasedthecountystaxbaseby29%.

Economicdevelopmentassociatedwithanewwindfarmextendsfarbeyondtaxestoincreasedemployment,directlyfromthewindfarmoperationandconstruction,andtomoneypumpedinthelocaleconomythroughservicesneededto

supportalargeconstructionproject,includingincreasedhotelstaysandrestaurantrevenues.

MYTH --- Wind Turbines Arent Safe

BladesCauseDangerousIceThrowsFact: Ice throw, while it can occur under certain conditions, is of little danger.Setbackstypicallyusedtominimizenoisearesufficienttoprotectagainstdangertothepublic.Inaddition,icebuildupslowsaturbine'srotationandwillbesensedbyaturbine'scontrolsystem,causingthe

turbinetoshutdown.TurbinesMayThrowBladesorCollapse

Fact: Modern wind turbines are so safe they successfully operate near schools, in urbansettings and densely populated areas, and in rural communities.Bladethrowswerecommonintheindustry'searlyyears,butareunheard-oftodaybecauseofbetterturbinedesignandengineering.Utility-scalewindturbinesarecertifiedtointernationalengineeringstandards,suchasthosedevelopedbyGermanischerLloydorDetNorskeVeritas,andtheseincluderatingsforwithstandingdifferentlevelsofhurricane-strengthwindsandforothercriteria.TherearethousandsofturbinesinstalledinEuropeandthousandsintheU.S.-windturbinestandardsensureahighlevelofoperationalreliabilityandsafetyintheU.S.andworldwide.

MYTH --- Wind Turbines Harm Wildlife

TurbinesKillManyBirdsandBatsFact: Wind energy developments overall impact on birds is extremely low compared with otherhuman-related activities.Nomatterhowextensivelywindisdevelopedinthefuture,birddeaths

What 1,000 Megawatts of Wind Brought to Texas

Taxablevalueofwindpowerplants:$777million

Propertytaxpaymentstolocalschooldistricts:$11.6millionin2002

Landownerroyaltyincome: $2.5millionin2002Wind-relatedjobs: 2,500


4/7

4


fromwindenergyareunlikelytobeevermorethanasmallfractionofbirddeathscausedbyotherhuman-relatedsources,suchascatsandbuildings.

Raptorkills(ofeagles,hawks,andowls)areaproblematonelargeolderwindfarminCalifornia,inAltamontPass,builtinthe1980s.Windfarmoperatorstherehaveworkedwithwildlifeofficialsandexpertstoreducetheimpactsonraptors,andthoseeffortscontinuetoday.Priorto2003,batkillsatwindfarmsstudiedwerelow.However,

thefrequencyofbatdeathsatanewlyconstructedwindfarminWestVirginiain2003hascausedconcern.Inresponse,AWEAandseveralofitsmembercompaniesenteredintoathree-yearcooperativeeffortwithBatConservationInternational,theNationalRenewableEnergyLaboratory,andtheU.S.FishandWildlifeServicetoresearchwind/batinteractionandtestwaystoreducebatmortality.Thatresearchisongoing,andinformationabouttheresultsisbeingpublishedastheybecomeavailable.Despitetheminimalimpactwinddevelopmenthasonbirdandbatpopulationsinmostareas,theindustrytakespotentialimpactsseriously.Inadditiontospecialinitiativessuchasthosedescribedabove,avianstudiesareroutinelyconductedatwindsitesbeforeprojectsareproposed.Pre-constructionwildlifesurveysarenowcommonpracticethroughouttheindustry.

WindProjectsFragmentWildlifeHabitatFact: Wind farms are most often built in areas close to transmission lines where habitat hasalready been modified and fragmented, typically by farming and ranching.And,windenergyhasalightfootprint,withonlytheturbineitself,alongwithsomeroadsandpowerlines,impactingtheland,whilepre-existinglandusecontinuesaroundtheturbinesasbefore.Windylandcanalsooftenbefoundinundevelopedareas,however,sohabitatfragmentationcanbeaconcern,especiallyinunbrokenstretchesofprairiegrasslandsorforests.Theindustrysupportsmoreresearchtobetterunderstandtheextentofpossiblehabitatorwildlifeimpactsintheseareas,butthoseimpactsmustbebalancedagainsttheeffectsofnotdevelopingrenewableenergysourcesandtherebyaggravatingglobalwarmingandpollutionpressuresonwildlifeandtheirhabitats--notjustinprairieorforestareas,butaroundtheworld.

Data source: Erickson et al., 2002, Summary ofAnthropogenic Causes of Bird Mortality.

communication

towers

buildings/windows

house

cats

other

high

tension

lines vehicles

pesticides wind

turbines


5/7

5


MYTH --- Wind Turbines are Expensive and Unreliable

Back-upGenerationIsNeededforAllWindTurbinesFact: Because of the grids inherent design, there is no need to back up every megawatt of windenergy with a megawatt of fossil fuel or dispatchable power. Theelectricgridisdesignedtohavemoregenerationsourcesthanareneededatanyonetimebecausenopowerplantis100%reliable.Itisacomplicatedsystemdesignedtoabsorbmanyimpacts,fromelectricgenerationsourcesgoingoutofserviceunexpectedlytoindustrialcustomersstartingupenergy-intensiveequipment.Thegridoperatormatcheselectricitygenerationtoelectricityuse,andwindenergysvariabilityisjustonemorevariableinthemix.

Oneofthemostauthoritativestudies,conductedin2004fortheMinnesotaDepartmentofCommercefoundthatadding1,500megawatts(MW)(enoughwindtomeettheneedsofmorethan400,000homes)tothesystemofamajorutility,XcelEnergyinMinnesota,wouldrequireonlyanadditional8MWofconventionalgenerationtodealwithaddedvariability.Manysourcesofelectricityconsideredhighlyreliablesufferfromunexpectedoutages:forinstancenuclearreactorsandcoalplantsthatshutdown,oftenatshortnotice,forsafetyrepairsormaintenance.Yetnooneproposestobackupacoalornuclearpowerplantwithasimilaramountofdedicatedgenerationfromanotherplant.Therealityisthatwindenergyisnaturally

variable,butnotunreliable.Windfarmsarebuiltinwindyareas,andseasonalanddailywindgenerationpatternscanbeanticipated.DenmarkandutilitysystemsinregionalareaselsewhereinEuropeoperatewith10-15%ormoreoftheirpowercomingfromwind,withoutincreasedreliabilityproblemsorneedforadditionalback-uppowerplants.Andincontrasttoconventionalpowerplants,windfarmsneednotshutdownaltogetherformaintenanceandrepairsaturbinefault,whenitoccurs,canberepairedwhiletheotherturbinescontinuetooperate.

WindTurbinesOperateOnlyaSmallFractionoftheTimeFact: Wind turbines generate electricity most (65-80%) of the time, although the output amountis variable. Nopowerplantgeneratesat100%nameplatecapacity100%ofthetime.Nameplatecapacityreferstothemaximumgenerationpotentialofapowerplant.A

conventionalpowerplantisoccasionallyclosedformaintenanceorrepairs,orrunsbelowfullcapacitytobestmatchdemand.Windfarmsarebuiltinareaswherethewindblowsmostofthetime,butbecauseofvariationsinspeed,awindfarmwillgeneratepoweratfullratedcapacityabout10%ofthetime,andonaveragethroughouttheyeartheplantwillgenerate30%to35%ofitsratedcapacity.AutilityintheNorthwest,PacifiCorp,added20%ofitswindprojects'nameplatecapacityintoitsbaseloadcalculationintheutilitys2004IntegratedResourcePlan.Thisindicatesthatutilitieswithexperiencewithwindenergyontheirsystemconsideritabletoprovidesomeconsistentpoweronaregularbasis.Thefullplancanbeaccessedathttp://www.pacificorp.com/File/File47422.pdf.

Findings of the Utility Wind Interest Group (an organization of some 55 utilities that have windpower on their systems) in November 2003:"Theresultstodatealsolaytorestoneofthemajorconcernsoftenexpressedaboutwindpower:thatawindplantwouldneedtobebackedupwithanequalamountofdispatchablegeneration.Itisnowclearthat,evenatmoderatewindpenetrations,theneedforadditionalgenerationto

compensateforwindvariationsissubstantiallylessthanone-for-oneandisoftenclosertozero."


6/7

6


WindEnergyWillNeverProvideMoreThanaLittleElectricityFact: The U.S. Department of Energy estimates Americas wind energy potential to be muchlarger than total U.S. electricity consumption today.TappingonlyafractionofthatpotentialwouldprovideasignificantpartofAmericaselectricitysupply.IntheUnitedStates,windenergycurrentlyproducesapproximately17billionkilowatt-hoursofelectricity,equivalenttopoweringabout1.6millionaverageAmericanhomesyear-round.Atypicalone-megawattturbinegeneratesenoughelectricityfor300homes.Withpoliciestoremovebarrierstowindenergydevelopment,by2020,100,000MWofwindenergycouldbeinstalled,providingatleast6%ofelectricitygeneratedintheU.S.,oraboutthesameamountashydropowertoday.WindenergyispoisedtobeasignificantpartofAmericasdiverseenergyportfolio.

WindTurbinesAreInefficientFact: Wind turbines are efficient, and that is part of their beauty.Oneofthesimplestwaystomeasureoverallefficiencyistolookatthe"energypayback"ofanenergytechnology,i.e.,theamountofenergyittakestoproduceagivenamountofenergy.

Theenergypaybacktimeforwindisinfactsimilartoorbetterthanthatofconventionalpowerplants.ArecentstudybytheUniversityofWisconsin-MadisoncalculatedtheaverageenergypaybackofMidwesternwindfarmstobebetween17and39timesasmuchenergyastheyconsume(dependingontheaveragewindspeedsatthesite),whilenuclearpowerplantsgenerateonlyabout16timesandcoalplants11timesasmuchenergyastheyconsume.Windturbinesarealsohighlyefficientinalargersense:theygenerateelectricityfromanatural,renewableresource,withoutanyhiddensocialorenvironmentalcoststhereisnoneedtomineforfuelortransportit,noglobalwarmingpollutantscreated,andnoneedtostore,treat,ordisposeofwastes.

WindEnergyIsExpensiveFact: Wind energy is now in a range that iscompetitive with power from new conventionalpower plants.Theup-front,capitalcostofwindenergyismoreexpensivethanthatofsometraditionalpowertechnologiessuchasnaturalgas.However,therearenofuelcosts,andingoodlocationsthe"levelized"cost(whichincludesthecostofcapital,the

The new wind farm that Xcel Energy isbuilding near Lamar will save consumers$4.6 million in their power bills.

-FromXcelEnergytestimonytotheFederalEnergyRegulatoryCommission,June16,2003

American Homes Served by Wind Energy(inmillions)

TODAY - 1.6 million

BY 2020 - 25 million


7/7

7


costoffuel,andthecostofoperationsandmaintenanceoverthelifetimeoftheplant)ofwindenergycannowbeverycompetitivewiththatofotherenergysources.

WindEnergyIsHeavilySubsidizedFact: Every energy technology is subsidized. Wind energy is no exception.Windreceivesataxcreditthatprovidesaninflation-adjusted1.5centsforeachkilowatt-hourgenerated,overthefirsttenyearsoftheproject.Thiscreditreducesthetaxliabilityofawindfarm,butisnotasubsidyofpublicmoneyflowingtothewindfarmowner.Otherenergysourcesreceivesubsidiesinmanyforms,includingtaxdeductions,loanguarantees,liabilityinsuranceandleasingofpubliclandsatbelowmarketprices.Some,likethedepletionallowanceforoilandgas,arepermanentinthetaxcode.Additionalindirectsubsidiesincludefederalmoneyforresearchanddevelopmentprogramsandpolicyprovisionsinfederallegislation.Thelargestsubsidy,however,maybeaninvisibleonethefactthattheenvironmentalimpactsfromfossilfuelusearenotreflectedthroughhighercostsofthoseenergysources.Instead,allofsocietymustpaythepricefordirtyair,pollutedwater,healthcosts,globalwarming,fuelspills,andcleanupanddisposaloffuelbyproductsattributedtotraditionalenergysources.Clean,renewable,domesticwindenergyproducesnoemissions,requiresno

fuelandthecostisfixedandpredictableovertime.

050629 myths vs facts fact sheet

Documents