Wind Watch: August 2025

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“So-called wind farms destroy habitats, not only for birds.” —Niall Williams & Christine Breen, Co. Clare, Ireland, Oct. 22, 2020

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=17

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“There is no way to “un-blast” a ridge.” —Occupy Lowell Mountain

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=34

Infrasound and the proposed High Brenfield wind farm by Low Carbon #SCT

I received notification of the scheduled roundtable event in the Scottish Parliament on 24th September. I would very much like to attend this, however, my work schedule may get in the way. As a resident of Ardrishaig, I am very much opposed to the proposed High Brenfield wind farm near the village, by the company Low Carbon. I have a background as a musician and sound engineer and have particular concerns over infrasound produced by these installations. Following a face . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/infrasound-and-the-proposed-high-brenfield-wind-farm-by-low-carbon/

Putting into perspective the risks to public health and safety posed by wind turbine installations #ON

Abstract: Evaluation of the risks to public health and safety posed by wind turbine installations is presented based on the special relationship between engineers and public welfare. Also, the evaluation investigated concerns identified by residents. “Risk” was considered as the answer to the questions of what can go wrong, what is the likelihood of it happening, and what are the consequences? Response to what can go wrong, was found from two methods. First was examination of 13 acute events that . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/putting-into-perspective-the-risks-to-public-health-and-safety-posed-by-wind-turbine-installations/

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“Consider this: We could be looking at 1,000 or more wind turbines taller than the Statue of Liberty on the high ridges of the Flint Hills, and they would contribute only about one-tenth of one percent of our current electricity use. That simply isn’t worth the destruction of our unique Tallgrass Prairie land resource.” —Larry Patton, Kan.

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=208

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“The lessons here are that wind power is not environmentally friendly, and it is not cost effective. And even if it were, its intermittent, weather-dependent generation isn’t particularly practical. It’s certainly not worth risking the extinction of several species to produce.” —Robert Roper, “Thar She Blows!” October 5, 2023

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=146

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“No statistically significant emission reductions from wind power.” —Benedict Probst et al., “Systematic assessment of the achieved emission reductions of carbon crediting projects”, Nature Communications, November 14, 2024

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=5

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“Polls show most Scots unhappy with this heavily subsidised and only intermittent source of energy that causes huge damage to the environment.” —Tom Gallagher, The Atlantic, April 13, 2012

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=62

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“The closer you get to the facts about wind energy, the worse wind power appears.” —Scott Darling, wildlife biologist, Vt. Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, Oct. 4, 2007, Middlebury, Vt. (comments after talk)

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=206

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“Even though gearboxes are certified to operate for 20 years, none of them on today’s market lasts more than 8 years.” —The Wind Energy Operations & Maintenance Report, 2012, Wind Energy Update

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=137

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“A wind farm is an industrial installation of vast proportions, and, if erected on the loftiest ridges, its industrial flavor becomes the new focal point for all view-sheds within a 15-mile radius.” —Dave Buhrman, W.Va.

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=166

Offshore wind energy: assessing trace element inputs and the risks for co-location of aquaculture #GBR

Abstract: Co-locating aquaculture with Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) is a novel global energy sustainability policy driver. However, trace elements (TEs) from turbine corrosion-protection systems could generate significant ecosystem, economic, and human health risks. We calculate annual inputs for current European OWF capacity (30 GW) as: 3219 t aluminium, 1148 t zinc and 1.9 t indium, but these will increase ~12× by 2050, eclipsing known discharges. However, a paucity of industry data makes it impossible to compare water and sediment TE concentrations at operational OWFs . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/offshore-wind-energy-assessing-trace-element-inputs-and-the-risks-for-co-location-of-aquaculture/

The potential of offshore wind farms to spread marine alien species #NOR

Abstract: Alien species are organisms introduced to new areas through human activities that have been associated with artificial structures in coastal zones. Offshore wind farms (OWFs), rapidly expanding across marine environments, provide novel artificial surfaces that may facilitate the establishment and spread of alien species in regions lacking natural habitats. In the southern North Sea, offshore energy structures already support such species, with similar patterns observed globally. Despite international and national policies calling for better understanding of alien marine species, . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/the-potential-of-offshore-wind-farms-to-spread-marine-alien-species/

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“One can certainly concur with concerns about how our culture’s fossil fuel combustion practices help accelerate the process of global warming without uncritically agreeing that the intrusive nature of windpower technology is even a partial solution to the problem.” —Jon Boone, Md.

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=204

(pic) Life and times of a wind turbine: from cradle to grave

Costs, footprint, maintenance, noise, collisions, impact on land and sea ecosystems, decommissioning, waste - graphic by Frank Maiorana

https://www.wind-watch.org/pix/displayimage.php?pid=1043

Bird mortality at wind farms in a tropical desert #IND

Abstract— The global aspiration for clean energy needs to accommodate biodiversity concerns. While India’s wind energy has grown annually by ~ 15% in recent past, their ecological impacts have not been assessed systematically. We studied bird mortality at wind farms in Thar Desert; a renewable energy hotspot, harboring ~300 bird species including critically endangered vultures and bustards. Our study spanned 3000 km² open natural ecosystem with ~900 turbines. We searched carcasses at 90 randomly selected turbines using seven multi-season surveys. We compared . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/bird-mortality-at-wind-farms-in-a-tropical-desert/

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“The plants that we’re building, the wind plants and the solar plants, are gas plants.” —Robert Kennedy, Jr., Energy Epicenter, July 8, 2010

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=14

Offshore wind energy: assessing trace element inputs and the risks for co-location of aquaculture #GBR

The potential of offshore wind farms to spread marine alien species #NOR

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“On an annual basis, we can be confident about how much wind energy will be produced, but on an hour-by-hour basis we haven’t a clue.” —Gareth Brett, CEO, Highview Power Storage, The Sunday Times, Oct. 31, 2010

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=162

Chemical emissions from offshore wind farms: From identification to challenges in impact assessment and regulation

Highlights More than 200 compounds that can be emitted from offshore wind farms are listed. Coatings and anodes account for the highest number of potentially released compounds. Lack of occurrence and detailed toxicity data hamper a full risk assessment. Regulations to reduce offshore wind farm chemical emissions are not yet harmonized. Elena Hengstmann, Pablo Zapata Corella, Katharina Alter, Maria J. Belzunce-Segarra, Andy M. Booth, Javier Castro-Jiménez, Niklas Czerner, Karien De Cauwer, Geneviève Deviller, Alessio Gomiero, Nils Goseberg, Simone Hasenbein, Torben . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/chemical-emissions-from-offshore-wind-farms-from-identification-to-challenges-in-impact-assessment-and-regulation/

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“We’re talking about serious stresses because the turbines turn at around 300 km per hour [tip speed] during rainy weather and it is incredibly difficult to find material that can handle this kind of punishment.” —Jakob Ilsted Bech, Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen Post, Nov. 2, 2018

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=138

Chemical emissions from offshore wind farms: From identification to challenges in impact assessment and regulation

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“Anyone who thinks that wind factories are environmentally friendly should Google ‘Cefn Croes Photo Gallery’, to see 100 chilling pictures showing how many miles of unspoiled Welsh countryside were disfigured to create the largest industrial site in Britain: all to ‘save’ annually less than a quarter of the CO₂ emissions from a single jumbo jet.” —Christopher Booker, Telegraph, U.K.

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=165

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“European countries are far ahead of the United States in not only wind power, but also its unhappy consequences.” —Ed Hiserodt, “Green Fairy Tales”, The New American, June 22, 2009

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=109

Infrasound and the proposed High Brenfield wind farm by Low Carbon #SCT

Putting into perspective the risks to public health and safety posed by wind turbine installations #ON

How Many Birds Are Killed by Wind Turbines? #USA

Countless studies have shown that climate change will cause far-reaching and devastating impacts to wildlife and humans alike. Renewable energy development is a critically important component of the transition away from fossil fuels, making our air cleaner and reversing the effects of climate change. Unfortunately, we have also learned that wind energy development has a substantial negative impact on birds. But just how many birds are killed by wind turbines? A Google search can turn up a wide array of . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/how-many-birds-are-killed-by-wind-turbines/

Are Wind Turbines a Significant Threat to Birds?

There are many threats to birds … and they are all significant. Birds face a host of threats – habitat loss, predation by outdoor cats, collisions with windows, pesticide poisoning … the list goes on. Cumulatively, the losses are huge: A recent study by American Bird Conservancy and others showed that there are 2.9 billion fewer birds in the U.S. and Canada than in 1970 – a nearly 30-percent decline of the total population. Then there’s climate change. Another recent study evaluated . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/are-wind-turbines-a-significant-threat-to-birds/

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“The first glimpse of the (Weymart, Pa., Wind Farm) turbines from State Route 6 presents a surreal image like something from a Road Warrior movie.” —Tom Vanesky

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=223

Bats flying through a Y-maze are visually attracted to wind turbine surfaces

Abstract: Wind energy’s rapid expansion has led to unintended consequences for wildlife, with migratory bats among the species most at risk. The behavioural mechanisms underlying collisions remain poorly understood, but one hypothesis is that bats are attracted to wind turbine structures. Vision is important to bat orientation and obstacle avoidance, yet it has been relatively understudied in the context of bat–turbine interactions. We hypothesize that light reflected off turbine surfaces could attract bats, acting as a sensory pollutant that may . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/bats-flying-through-a-y-maze-are-visually-attracted-to-wind-turbine-surfaces/

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“It is not just that wind farms are producing significantly less power than predicted, but that other power stations are required to run in an inefficient manner to support them ... this inefficient practice results in them producing higher levels of CO₂.” —Andrew Chapman, Inverloch, Aust.

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=177

Infrasound and the proposed High Brenfield wind farm by Low Carbon #SCT

Putting into perspective the risks to public health and safety posed by wind turbine installations #ON

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“The main success of Danish involvement in wind power would appear to be the foundation of an industry producing wind mills.” —Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Association

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=228

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“The mountains and moors, the wild uplands, are to be staked out like vampires in the sun, their chests pierced with rows of five-hundred-foot wind turbines and associated access roads, masts, pylons, and wires.” —Paul Kingsnorth, Orion, Jan./Feb. 2012

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=26

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“... like the giant statues on Rapa Nui, a desperate but very wrongheaded effort to fend off environmental disaster.” —Eric Rosenbloom, Sep. 21, 2006

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=56

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“Wind power does not reduce global warming, is not commercially viable, and is environmentally destructive.” —John Droz, N.Y.

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=171

Infrasound With Large Peak to Trough Blade Pass Harmonics in Two Houses Between Three Large Wind Turbine Facilities (WTFs) on the Northwest Coast of Norway and Two Single Health Cases and a Health Survey Near the WTF in Tysvær, Norway #NOR

ABSTRACT – The handling of sound pollution was to be transferred from the county governors in Norway to the municipalities in 2020. As chief medical officer on the small island of Frøya, pop. 5.500, that was to become my responsibility. The decision was made in late 2018 to complete the planned wind turbine facility (WTF) with 14 Vestas V136 turbines on Frøya. This brought on many local protests, one being the claim that infrasound from WTFs cause health problems. This seemed . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/infrasound-in-two-houses-between-three-large-wind-turbine-facilities/

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“One of the messages I presented to the coal industry was, “If you want to have major transmission built, start encouraging wind development.” That’s because the cultural value and acceptance of wind energy provides an opportunity to build transmission lines that are not as desirable with traditional forms of generation.” —Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Public Service Commissioner, North Dakota Public Radio, May 20, 2008

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=140

Offener Brief an politisch Verantwortliche zum Thema: Auswirkungen von technischem Infraschall auf die Gesundheit #DEU

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, Wir, die Absender dieses Briefes befassen uns seit langem mit diesem Thema und stellen mit zunehmender Besorgnis fest: Die gesundheitlichen Risiken durch von technischen Anlagen wie z.B. Windraftanlagen ausgesendetem Infraschall werden aktuell sowohl in ihrer Schwere und ihrer epidemiologischen Bedeutung erheblich unterbewertet. Die bestehenden Normen zum Schutz der Bevölkerung entsprechen nicht den neuesten wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen und sind nicht mehr ausreichend. Wir weisen ausdrücklich darauf hin, dass diese Auswirkungen das Maß von Belästigung weit übersteigen, es . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/offener-brief-an-politisch-verantwortliche-zum-thema-auswirkungen-von-technischem-infraschall-auf-die-gesundheit/

Bird mortality at wind farms in a tropical desert #IND

Untersuchung zu gesundheitlichen Beeinträchtigungen von Anwohnern durch den Betrieb von Windenergieanlagen in Deutschland #DEU

Anhand einer Fallstudie wurde der Frage nachgegangen, ob gesundheitliche Schädigungen von Anwohnern durch den Betrieb von Windenergieanlagen vorliegen. Dies wird von ausländischen Studien zwar nahegelegt, die Kausalität und das Ausmaß der Belastung, die über eine Störwirkung hinausgehen, wird aber in Deutschland generell bestritten. An dokumentierten Einzelfällen von Anwohnern, konnte mit dieser Untersuchung nachgewiesen werden: In kausalem Zusammenhang mit dem Betrieb von Windenergieanlagen in behördlich erlaubten Entfernungen zur Wohnbebauung treten mit hoher Signifikanz reproduzierbare schwere Schlafstörungen mit ernsten Folgeerkrankungen auf, die . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/untersuchung-zu-gesundheitlichen-beeintrachtigungen-von-anwohnern-durch-den-betrieb-von-windenergieanlagen-in-deutschland/

Wind turbine operation at officially permitted distances to residential areas is causal to severe sleep disorders in Germany #DEU

Abstract Background: Increasing numbers of serious adverse health effects reported by residents living near wind turbines served to initiate this descriptive cohort study. Methods: Two physicians interviewed 131 persons across Germany who suspected that their health impairments were due to nearby wind turbine operation. A questionnaire completed by each interviewee provided the data for this report. Results: Chronic sleep disorders connected to wind turbine operation were reported by 128 persons. A reproducible chronic sleep disorder (repeated temporal relationship between wind . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/wind-turbine-operation-at-officially-permitted-distances-to-residential-areas-is-causal-to-severe-sleep-disorders-in-germany/

Health Relevance of Aerodynamic Emissions from Wind Turbines #DEU

The aerodynamic emissions of wind turbines – particularly wind pressure pulses, periodic pressure waves from energy-laden air displacement, vortex formation, and tower oscillations – involve significant energetic content and, according to current interdisciplinary evidence, can impair the health of sensitive organisms, particularly humans. Current regulations, which are focused almost exclusively on acoustic metrics, fail to capture these non-acoustic but highly impactful emission types. This represents a serious and now untenable gap in environmental and public health protection, likely responsible for . . .

https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/health-relevance-of-aerodynamic-emissions-from-wind-turbines/

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“What we have all thought of as an industry of benefit, may not be of much benefit. They don’t provide any jobs and now they may not provide much revenue either! ” —Judge Laura Pryor, Gilliam County, Ore.

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=235

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“Unlike other sources, wind is intermittent. Using it in a power grid requires the addition of other sources.” —Greg Jergeson, Chairman, Montana Public Service Commission

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=64

Bird mortality at wind farms in a tropical desert #IND

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“People thought they’d get their electric bill reduced, but ours went up and we’re getting nothing. I can’t understand what anybody thought they’d get out of this. This company (FPL) came in, destroyed the top of the mountain, and left us with it.” —Rose Marie Derk, Waymart, Pa.

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=218

Industrial Wind Energy Quote

“Because most utility-scale renewable energy projects require vast areas of land, they carry a high likelihood of causing conflicts over land rights and land use, in addition to other local-level social and environmental impacts.” —Soledad Mills, CEO, Equitable Origin, January 28, 2016

https://www.wind-watch.org/quotes.php?t=33