Wind Power

Wind power, which is the conversion of wind energy into electricity through the use of wind turbines, is a viable alternative to fossil fuels that is pollution-free, affordable, efficient, plentiful, renewable, clean, widely distributed, produces no greenhouse emissions during operation, uses little land, is an inexhaustible source of electricity and can be harvested nearly everywhere, whether in valleys, on mountains, in your backyard or in the sea. Wind power is one of the most cost-effective sources of electricity available, capable of generating power at prices competitive with new natural gas plants and cheaper than new coal and nuclear plants, and is already cheaper than coal and natural gas in Australia - with solar is right behind. However, if you take into account the very real health and environmental damage from fossil fuels, wind and solar power is the least expensive energy sources worldwide. Drawbacks to wind turbines is that their construction and operation can create an undesirable landscape with their strikingly large visual appearances and pose a danger to birds and bats in the area with their turning rotors. However, the benefits of wind energy far outweigh the plethora of environmental, social, economic and public health costs associated with the use of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas, and there are major innovations and advances being made within the wind industry to counteract these drawbacks and further advance and even double the efficiency of harnessing the wind. The wind industry has been growing rapidly in recent years with an increase of 20% global wind capacity in 2012, largely driven by China and the US, and with new designs transforming offshore wind (see also). According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, in 2010 alone, 2,900 turbines went up across the United States, and today, American wind generates enough electricity to power more than 10 million homes, creates steady income for investors and landowners, and helps support over 100,000 manufacturing and ongoing operations and maintenance jobs. Learn more.

Wind is expected to supply 1/10th of the world's power by 2020, saving nearly 1.7 billion tons of CO2 emissions. By 2030, wind power could provide a fifth of global electricity. Learn more.

"The world needs to transition from its current unsustainable energy paradigm to a future powered by entirely renewable energy supply. Only by making such a transition will we be able to avoid the very worst impacts of climate change. WWF’s ground-breaking energy study - The Energy Report - shows that this future is within our reach, and provides a vital insight into how it can be achieved. A growing number of leaders - from within the policy arena, business, media, and civil society, are questioning the views of conventional experts on the world’s energy future, and their “business-as-usual” scenarios, embarking on a serious search for realistic alternatives. Their reasoning is obvious: minimizing climate change impacts will require substantial cuts in global emissions - as quickly as possible. The world has reached peak conventional oil and gas, meaning oil and gas companies are digging deeper and deeper into unconventional sources, with disastrous environmental and social consequences. Coal is still relatively readily available, but catastrophic in terms of climate changing emissions. The world can no longer afford to hang on to its old energy paradigm, and its dangerous dependence on fossil fuels." ~ WWF, The Energy Report: 100% Renewable Energy by 2050

"A number of studies have suggested that the damage done to bird populations by wind energy is small, though real. Nor is the fossil fuel industry safe from similar critique; one study suggests that half a million to a million birds die each year at oil producing facilities. Even Trump’s beloved skyscrapers are likely responsible for more bird deaths than wind farms." ~ Philip Bump, Grist

Source: The Guardian, from data compiled by the GWEC | Click to learn more