Disadvantages of Windmills

Disadvantages of Windmills Wind energy is one of the many renewable energy resources that provide cheap and efficient energy. Wind energy comes from wind turbines, similar to windmills, which use the wind to make electricity. This renewable energy resource is very affordable, clean, and it can never run out because the wind comes from the sun. But according to Selling the Wind by Michelle Nijhuis, “It’s well known that wind turbines kill both birds and bats, though exactly how often and why these deaths occur is remains poorly understood” (Nijhuis 464). Although wind turbines can be resourceful for energy purposes, they are a threat to wildlife. Other disadvantages of windmills are that wind is unpredictable, they are noisy, and installation costs are expensive. The biggest disadvantage to wind turbines is that they are a threat to wildlife, mainly to birds and bats. In 1980, biologists reported large number of golden eagles, hawks, and other raptors were flying into the spinning blades at Altamont Pass in California and dying as a result (Nijhuis 464). Clive Hambler claims that “Wind farms are devastating populations of rare birds and bats across the world, driving some to the point of extinction…Because they’re so desperate to believe in renewable energy, they’re in a state of denial. But the evidence suggests that, this century at least, renewables pose a far greater threat to wildlife than climate change” (par. 1). Wind turbines are suited in locations which receive the most wind throughout the year, such as the plains. Fortunately, these areas are where these birds reside and therefore, fly into the blades of these wind turbines. Wind turbines can cause many bird and bat species to go into extinction not only in the United States, but the whole world. The next disadvantage to wind turbines is that the wind can never be predicted. Wind turbines need to be set up in areas where it most windy to produce electricity, such as costal regions. So, regions and

Cited: Hambler, Clive. "Wind Farms vs Wildlife." The Spectator. The Spectator Magazine, 5 Jan. 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2013. <http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/8807761/wind-farms-vs-wildlife/>. "How Much Do Wind Turbines Cost?" Windustry. Windustry & Great Plains Windustry Project, 2000. Web. 23 Apr. 2013. <http://www.windustry.org/resources/how-much-do-wind-turbines-cost>. Nijhuis, Michelle. “Selling the Wind.” The Aims of Argument. 7th Ed. Timothy W Curtis and Carolyn E. Channel. New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. 463-466. Print.