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Do you think that their visual and environmental impacts are outweight by their benefits?

I’m in favour of wind turbines as they provide a valuable renewable energy source that is vital if we are to head towards our targets, though I can sympathise with those who have been affected by their introduction.

They aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing devices in the world, and there has been debate over their impact in terms of destruction of natural habitats. Do they generate enough energy to warrant these side effects or should countries such as the UK look towards other sources? Unfortunately, the likes of solar aren’t really a viable option here, though we have plenty of coastline ripe for tidal energy systems.

Well I have to agree and disagree…

To some they may be aethetically un-appealing, while other may find them very apppealing

They are beginning to place them in places where they wond be seen to much, for instance they are beginning to put them out in coastal regions about a mile from the shore.

This allows them to get a constant amount of strong wind while staying out of sight to all but the occasional boater.

Now about their environmental impact and destruction of natural habitats, I am guessing you are referring to the bird deaths. This has been drastically cut by using much larger wind turbines so the blades dont do as much damage.

The best systems would be a combo of wind and tidal systems on the coasts.

Adam

Personally I don’t find the sight of wind turbines all that offensive, but judging by the number of signatures on petitions, it would seem that quite a few do.

Coastal and offshore wind farms are a much better option in my opinion - as you stated, they will receive a constant supply of wind and are much less likely to be a visual problem. The UK has started to do this to great effect, and hopefully by 2020 there will be a fair few more wind farms located offshore. Are there issues with longevity of turbines placed off shore out of interest?

Bird deaths were a big problem, especially earlier on, though it is encouraging to hear that this isn’t such a factor anymore. There has also been discussion about some of the locations of wind farms and the effect they have on local wildlife. I’m hoping that sites are chosen responsibly.

Yes i also think that widn farms are effective on shores if the country land scape is suitable for these instalations!
Yet i am very concerned about all those voices of projects that have been reduced to silence for political or financial reasons. what i mean to say is that human kind has the knowledge and the creativity to do something for the planet ... but they don’t really want it.
I mean it could be a real blast beneath the belt for those large oil companies if all the vehicles would work on solar energy for example!

Hmm, on this subject I think that people who don’t like the look of wind turbines are often in favor of them…as long as they’re put somewhere else. This is a very picky reason for not using a largely untapped natural resource.

I also didn’t know that there were bird deaths because of the turbines, does anyone have more information on this? Was it in a concentrated location, or a general problem all over?

This kind of controversy hit Vermont last March when they wanted to build turbines in Washington County. As far as I understood, the concerns were about the turbines throwing ice, making noise and the red lights that would be on them at night for airplanes. Are these usually the main concerns that locals have with the turbines?

Centaur - Those are a few of the worries from local communities, though in truth I do not believe they are half as noisy as some people would like to think. In fact, the latest designs are very efficient and generate very little noise pollution.

The real major problem people have with wind turbines is their appearance - large white fans lined up covering hundreds of acres of land. Again, I don’t really find their appearance that offensive and the majority are built out of sight of major communities.

We also have wind turbines in the south of italy. but i don’t know what to say about bird deaths or other things like that. I haven;t heard anyone complaining about that. hope i will see them one day for real.  :shock: 

Gianni

There is a wind turbine located near Lakeshore Blvd in Toronto, and several more a couple hours drive northwest of the city.

I don’t find them offensive looking at all, but I would share concerns about bird deaths.

Considering how long I’ve seen them in this area, I’ve heard almost no discussion about them.

We have plenty of countryside and coastal regions left for these wind turbines.
Personally i do not think that they are ugly and for those that think they are, maybe a little more thought in where to put them might be a good idea.

I don’t think they look to bad.

If birds are going to go extinct from running into these I think thats called “natural selection”.

The pros out weigh the cons.

Our area has not used turbines for energy production.  We don’t really have high wind areas.  But it would be a good idea if we could use them.

I really like the look of the wind turbines.  In our area, we recently started getting more and more of them…with plans for A LOT more. 

There are many, many people that are taking issue with this around here mainly because they believe that it is ruining our mountains and messing up the ecosystem.