Taking a Broader View on Wind Energy
By Tom Stebbins JGSM '07
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: Perspectives
In the recent Wall Street Journal article, "Windmills are Killing Our Birds," the author, Robert Bryce, laments that ExxonMobil recently paid $600,000 in fines for killing eighty-five protected birds, while wind energy companies are not being prosecuted for killing birds at their facilities. It is no secret that wind turbines do impact birds, but when comparing the environmental effects of our available energy resources, wind comes out far ahead.
While the unintended effects of traditional power generation-coal, natural gas, oil, hydro, and nuclear-may not be as dramatic or as visual as a wind turbine blade striking a bird, the impact of traditional power generation is more pervasive and destructive. Economists call these unintended effects "externalities." Power generation is the single greatest contributor to acid rain. Recent studies, some of them performed at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, have shown that acid rain caused by traditional power generation has multiple destructive effects on bird populations. Acid rain softens bird shells, increasing infant mortality. Acid rain increases soil acidity, drastically lowering the populations of worms and snails and other bird food sources. Some lakes in the Adirondacks and elsewhere have become so acidified, they are considered "dead," along with their bird-supporting ecosystems. And all of this is in addition to the potential ecological impacts of climate change, since power generation makes up for the majority of our nation's CO2 emissions.
These adverse effects are not limited to fossil fuels. Hydro and nuclear power discharge millions of gallons of blended or super-heated water into our lakes and rivers. These activities fundamentally alter our water systems with drastic impacts to bird species they support. A good question to pose is whether or not traditional power generation companies been persecuted for these impacts to wildlife? Have they paid fines for the thousands of acres of land acidified or the millions of gallons of lake water rendered virtually lifeless?
Not all of the environmental impacts of traditional generation are direct. There are also indirect impacts from mining required to supply our traditional power infrastructure. Mining activities impact vast swaths of land and ocean floor here in the U.S. and abroad. An estimated 130,000 acres of American land is disturbed for coal mining each year. The waste from coal mining activities leeches into riverbeds and watersheds, sometimes years after the mines have closed, endangering wildlife and human health.
When we factor in all of the externalities of traditional energy production-acid rain, climate change, and habitat destruction-wind power is proven to be far less destructive to bird populations and the ecosystems that support them.
There are also plenty of non-environmental impacts we as a country endure in order to secure the fossil fuels that support much of our energy infrastructure. To ensure a steady supply of oil and natural gas, we partner with volatile governments, tolerate despotic regimes and maintain a strong, and costly, military presence overseas. The political, social, economic and military consequences of these activities are hotly debated, but they cannot be ignored or denied. On the other hand, wind power is a distinctly local activity, one that brings jobs and economic benefits to Americans.
Mr. Bryce would likely argue that the issue is not the scale of the externalities, but the double standard: that ExxonMobil has to pay a fee that wind companies do not pay. However, the evidence in Mr. Bryce's article is proof that there is no double standard and that the claim is disingenuous. ExxonMobil was not fined solely for the death of 85 birds; they were fined because those deaths were caused by uncovered tanks of pollutants and wastewater. These tanks constituted environmental code violations-violations to codes that Mr. Bryce reveals were created decades ago and solutions to which Mr. Bryce identifies as "easy and cheap." Wind power is not in violation of these codes, and indeed could not be in violation, since wind power has no pollution and therefore no tanks of wastewater.
It is a great irony, given that wind power causes none of these environmental and political problems, that environmental regulators in West Virginia would not allow wind development on a ridge in West Virginia-a ridge which was once a mountain-a mountain whose top was removed for a coal mine.
Wind and solar power actively offset and avoid the negative impacts of traditional power generation on our environment while providing tangible economic benefits. This should be encouraged. We as a society need to lessen the impact of energy generation on our environment while encouraging economic growth. In order to do that, we must broaden our thinking and understand all of the impacts of our energy choices not just on birds, but our planet as a whole.
Tom Stebbins is a member of the Johnson School Class of 2007. He is currently a Project Manager with Horizon Wind Energy based out of Albany, NY.
While the unintended effects of traditional power generation-coal, natural gas, oil, hydro, and nuclear-may not be as dramatic or as visual as a wind turbine blade striking a bird, the impact of traditional power generation is more pervasive and destructive. Economists call these unintended effects "externalities." Power generation is the single greatest contributor to acid rain. Recent studies, some of them performed at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, have shown that acid rain caused by traditional power generation has multiple destructive effects on bird populations. Acid rain softens bird shells, increasing infant mortality. Acid rain increases soil acidity, drastically lowering the populations of worms and snails and other bird food sources. Some lakes in the Adirondacks and elsewhere have become so acidified, they are considered "dead," along with their bird-supporting ecosystems. And all of this is in addition to the potential ecological impacts of climate change, since power generation makes up for the majority of our nation's CO2 emissions.
These adverse effects are not limited to fossil fuels. Hydro and nuclear power discharge millions of gallons of blended or super-heated water into our lakes and rivers. These activities fundamentally alter our water systems with drastic impacts to bird species they support. A good question to pose is whether or not traditional power generation companies been persecuted for these impacts to wildlife? Have they paid fines for the thousands of acres of land acidified or the millions of gallons of lake water rendered virtually lifeless?
Not all of the environmental impacts of traditional generation are direct. There are also indirect impacts from mining required to supply our traditional power infrastructure. Mining activities impact vast swaths of land and ocean floor here in the U.S. and abroad. An estimated 130,000 acres of American land is disturbed for coal mining each year. The waste from coal mining activities leeches into riverbeds and watersheds, sometimes years after the mines have closed, endangering wildlife and human health.
When we factor in all of the externalities of traditional energy production-acid rain, climate change, and habitat destruction-wind power is proven to be far less destructive to bird populations and the ecosystems that support them.
There are also plenty of non-environmental impacts we as a country endure in order to secure the fossil fuels that support much of our energy infrastructure. To ensure a steady supply of oil and natural gas, we partner with volatile governments, tolerate despotic regimes and maintain a strong, and costly, military presence overseas. The political, social, economic and military consequences of these activities are hotly debated, but they cannot be ignored or denied. On the other hand, wind power is a distinctly local activity, one that brings jobs and economic benefits to Americans.
Mr. Bryce would likely argue that the issue is not the scale of the externalities, but the double standard: that ExxonMobil has to pay a fee that wind companies do not pay. However, the evidence in Mr. Bryce's article is proof that there is no double standard and that the claim is disingenuous. ExxonMobil was not fined solely for the death of 85 birds; they were fined because those deaths were caused by uncovered tanks of pollutants and wastewater. These tanks constituted environmental code violations-violations to codes that Mr. Bryce reveals were created decades ago and solutions to which Mr. Bryce identifies as "easy and cheap." Wind power is not in violation of these codes, and indeed could not be in violation, since wind power has no pollution and therefore no tanks of wastewater.
It is a great irony, given that wind power causes none of these environmental and political problems, that environmental regulators in West Virginia would not allow wind development on a ridge in West Virginia-a ridge which was once a mountain-a mountain whose top was removed for a coal mine.
Wind and solar power actively offset and avoid the negative impacts of traditional power generation on our environment while providing tangible economic benefits. This should be encouraged. We as a society need to lessen the impact of energy generation on our environment while encouraging economic growth. In order to do that, we must broaden our thinking and understand all of the impacts of our energy choices not just on birds, but our planet as a whole.
Tom Stebbins is a member of the Johnson School Class of 2007. He is currently a Project Manager with Horizon Wind Energy based out of Albany, NY.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
John McClain
posted 11/15/09 @ 11:21 AM EST
This is a great overview, considering the total impact of various ways of producing electricity. Some people worry about noise produced by windmills. I visited one in Minnesota, and the "whoosh, whoosh" of the blades was much quieter than the highway noise of a car passing at 60mph. (Continued…)
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posted 12/10/09 @ 11:36 AM EST
It is a great irony, given that wind power causes none of these environmental and political problems.
baldai
posted 4/05/10 @ 9:43 AM EST
wow, this brings back some great memories! it seems like just yesterday i was watching all of these great shows, and more great shows. this homecoming theme has been so much fun!
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