As with the construction of any man-made facility, wind energy developments do change the area environment. But wind power’s impacts on the environment are not as negative as other energy developments. Let’s take a quick look at how wind power developments compares to other energy generation facilities with regards to environmental impact.

Wind energy is a clean energy. It does not adversely affect air or water quality as many other energy production plants, such as coal-fueled plants, do. Clean air is important for plant and animal life – and for human life, too!

No cooling is needed, so thermal water pollution, a common side effect of nuclear and fossil fuel power plants, does not occur. Thermal water pollution reduces the solubility of oxygen in water and can lead to fish deaths in the lakes surrounding nuclear and coal-burning power plants.

No waste is produced, so there is no need to dump unused portions of input as in the case of coal and nuclear power. Wind energy avoids the unpleasant task of finding areas to store harmful radioactive material from nuclear power plants.

Wind energy developments involve few changes to the landscape, unlike mining for coal or drilling for natural gas & oil.

In the long-run, wind energy helps us avoid the possible impacts of global warming by reducing fossil fuel use. Possible changes in climate from global warming, though not certain nor immediate, could outpace the ability of many plant and animal species to adapt or migrate. Wind energy is an important preemptive step in preserving species diversity, particularly in northern latitudes.

Read more stories from the Fall 2008 newsletter