Wind Turbine Myths

Source: New York Times

1. Lightning Strikes: wind turbines do not attract lightning, because they are “grounded.” Any static electric charge released from the turbine is dispersed into the ground, preventing any buildup of charge which could attract lightning. Trees are actually more likely to incur a lightning strike, because they are composed of polar materials and they are not grounded.

2. Birds: wind turbines, even when grouped in large arrays account for less than .003% of human caused birth deaths. House cats and glass window cause 10,000 times more bird deaths than do wind turbines. Since wind turbines do not produce any emissions while producing electricity, they will actually provide cleaner air for avian species to possibly increase their survival rate.

Image Source: American Wind Energy Association

3. Wind Turbines are Energy Costly to Produce: the average wind farm will pay back the energy used in its manufacture within 3-5 months of operation. Wind farms contain turbines generating megawatts of energy on towers greater than 100ft. A modern wind turbine is designed to operate for more than 20 years and at the end of its working life, the area housing the wind turbines can easily be restored at low financial and environmental costs. Additionally, the components of the turbine can be recycled and used as technical nutrients for the next generation of wind turbines. Wind energy is a form of development which is essentially reversible.

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