Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Power

Like every form of power generation, wind-generated electrical power offers several advantages, as well as some disadvantages and drawbacks. Read on to learn more about each of these aspects...

ADVANTAGES

1. The use of wind turbines does not generate pollution or radioactive waste like most other forms of electricity generation do. Their construction and installation has less environmental impact as well.

2. Wind power may be used to provide electricity to individual homes or other facilities on a self-reliant basis, with no need for fuel or other materials to be supplied. If a natural disaster severs power lines, residents with windmills will not lose their supply of electricity.

3. Wind can also generate power for large numbers of people, using larger turbines connected to an electrical grid. This allows individuals to take advantage of some of their benefits without personally owning or maintaining the equipment.

4. Another one of its advantages is that this type of power generation does not consume any non-renewable resources, like coal, natural gas, or oil. Thus, it won't contribute to their eventual depletion, nor does it promote environmental harm brought about by obtaining these resources.

DISADVANTAGES

1. Some people consider the turbines to have an undesirable appearance, especially when there are very tall units and/or large groups of them. The same could be said for coal or nuclear power plants, but these are concentrated into a smaller number of facilities.

2. Another of the disadvantages is that they can be damaged in thunderstorms, partially because of their tall, thin shape. The website of the National Lightning Safety Institute indicates that most damage to wind turbines is caused by lightening. This is more of a problem in warmer parts of the world, where they are frequent.

3. The blades of wind turbines can hit birds who attempt to fly between them. However, it should be kept in mind that birds are also affected by the disadvantages of other power generation methods, especially pollution.

4. Some turbines produce noise; according to a white paper issued by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Renewable Energy Research Laboratory, noise varies from one turbine to the next, and is more likely to be problematic when the wind speed is low.

OVERALL

Basically, wind power has a number of advantages and provides an inexpensive, self-reliant method of generating electricity with relatively little maintenance. However, there are some disadvantages with regard to birds, thunderstorms, and the appearance of turbines. It is not always windy, so a combination of solar and/or hydroelectric with wind power can provide a more consistent supply of renewable energy.

Sources:

1. University of Massachusetts at Amherst,

http://www.ceere.org/rerl/publications/whitepapers/Wind_Turbine_Acoustic_Noise_Rev2006.pdf

2. National Lightening Safety Institute,

http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/wind1.html