Wind turbines have become popular all over the world.
These advanced machines produce a renewable source of energy, working toward a greener future.
While there are several positive impacts wind turbines have on the environment, there are significant negative impacts.
Communities should consider these negative impacts before deciding to switch to wind power.
Learning about how wind turbines affect communities is important.
Especially if you are planning to join a community that is close to a wind farm.
Here is everything you need to know about how wind turbines affect the community.
How are wind turbines beneficial in the community?
Wind turbines offer several benefits to communities.
Especially the communities that are in closer proximity to these wind farms.
The reasons why wind turbines are beneficial in communities include:
- Secure energy costs
Power supplies are often imported or come from other states.
It is rare for a community to have its own power supply.
This is one of the reasons why the cost of power can fluctuate at times.
Having this source of power increases the chances of power cuts and shortages.
Wind farms in a community make it possible to have direct access to a power supply in their community.
This will keep the money in the community and will also allow the community to become more independent.
Wind turbines in a community lower the possibility of power cutoffs or shortages.
- Cleaner air and water
Power plants produce the majority of environmental pollutants.
These environmental pollutants result in acid rain and smog.
Environmental pollutants also contribute to global warming.
The environmental pollutants from power plants are also contaminators of many local lakes.
These environmental pollutants are also a public health issue.
Environmental pollutants can lead to illnesses like asthma and even birth defects.
Environmental pollution is also harming wildlife.
Wind turbines have the ability to produce energy without producing all environmental pollutants.
Using wind turbines as your main source of energy means using fewer power plants.
This will decrease the amount of environmental pollution released.
A decrease in environmental pollutants leads to a community having cleaner air and water.
Having less environmental pollution will also be beneficial to the communities health.
- Local economic benefit
Wind turbines create several economic benefits in the local community, like job creation.
By hiring local businesses to prepare the land and install the wind turbines and electrical lines.
This creates about 40 to 160 construction jobs for every 100MW for the development of a wind farm.
The landowners of a community with a wind farm receive another local economic benefit.
These landowners will receive payments for the part of the land the wind farm may fall on.
- Community pride
A few communities feel a sense of pride after experiencing having a wind farm in their community.
This sense of pride may come from the local economic benefit created by the community’s wind farms and the improvement in the quality of living due to cleaner air and water.
How are wind turbines negatively affecting the community?
While there are several beneficial impacts of wind turbines on the community.
This renewable energy source can also negatively affect the community.
The negative effects wind turbines have on the community include:
- Visual impact
Even though wind turbines look much more modern and high-tech, once you put these larger machines in a natural landscape, they may ruin the visual aesthetic of the area.
A survey conducted found that the majority of communities view wind farms to be less visually pleasing.
Developing certain areas into wind farms is not allowed in some countries.
These areas are usually national parks or historic areas.
But, certain developing countries like the view of wind farms.
They view wind turbines as a sign that the country is progressing.
- Noise pollution
Wind turbines make a noise that ranges between 50 to 60 decibels.
While this might not seem like a big issue, it is a form of noise pollution.
Suppose you are continuously around this noise, like the people living in a community close to a wind farm.
The noise can become a disturbance and may even lead to health issues.
- Health problems
Wind farms may reduce the risk of specific health issues by reducing the emissions of environmental pollutants.
There may be a few health risks that they are responsible for causing.
The health risk linked to wind turbines include:
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Vertigo
- Sleep disturbances
- Irritability
- Headaches
- Concentration difficulties
- Ear pressure
- Tachycardia
- Panic attacks
One of the main factors of the wind turbines causing these health issues is the machine’s noise pollution.
- Safety hazard
Wind turbines can be a safety hazard for people in a community who live near a wind farm.
During a storm, a blade from the wind turbine could fall on someone causing serious injury or even death.
- Property values
Houses that are very close to wind farms have seen a reduction in their property value.
This is because people are reluctant to live next to or even near a wind farm.
This may be because of both the visual impact and noise pollution caused by wind turbines.
Conclusion
There are several positive effects wind turbines have on communities.
Such as reducing energy costs, producing cleaner air and water, and providing local economic benefits through job creation and land payments, and community pride.
But there are several negative effects wind turbines have on the community as well.
Such as the visual impact, noise pollution, which can lead to health issues.
Wind turbines can become a safety hazard and decrease property values.
While wind turbines have both positive and negative impacts on the community, different communities may see positive impacts as negative impacts and vice versa.
This will be different according to that community’s needs.
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