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newsroom
AWEA urges Academy to conduct study of all energy sources
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today responded to the findings of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on the benefits and impacts of wind energy in the Mid-Atlantic region. According to AWEA’s Executive Director Randall Swisher, “The report verifies the fact that wind energy development’s overall impact on birds is extremely low compared with many other human-related activities. More than a thousand times as many birds are killed flying into buildings, for example, than wind turbines.” With respect to bird collisions, the NAS report said, in a section entitled “Bird Deaths in Context, “Clearly, bird deaths caused by wind turbines are a minute fraction of . . . total anthropogenic bird deaths – less than 0.003% [three of every 100,000] in 2003.” National Audubon Society President John Flicker is an outspoken supporter of wind energy. In a column he wrote for the November-December 2006 issue of the Society’s magazine, he stated that Audubon "strongly supports [properly sited] wind power as a clean alternative energy source" and pointed to the threat global warming poses to birds and other wildlife. (A major scientific study in 2004 concluded that global warming, if left unchecked, could lead to the extinction of more than one million species of plants and animals by 2050.)
“The wind industry is a conscientious and highly active steward of the environment and supports and funds ground-breaking wildlife research through collaborative agreements with conservation groups and foundations,” said Swisher, adding, “Wind power is an essential element of the solution to both climate change and America’s exponentially increasing demand for electricity . It’s 100 percent clean, free and inexhaustible, and a readily available and cost-effective source of energy throughout most of the U.S . ” AWEA recommends that the NAS conduct a comprehensive study that looks at the impact all energy sources have on the environment and wildlife. AWEA estimates that in 2007, wind electricity will displace approximately 19 million tons of carbon dioxide -- the leading greenhouse gas and primary global warming pollutant –which otherwise would be emitted by traditional energy sources such as coal, natural gas, and oil. With the growing public demand for clean energy, there is broad recognition – among President Bush, Congress and business leaders – that wind energy is essential in balancing our nation’s energy needs. The NAS report focused on the benefits and impacts of wind energy only in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands ( Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania).On wildlife, the report reiterates much of what is already known about wildlife impacts in the region: effects on birds (including raptors) are relatively low, bats are a continuing concern at some locations, and projects may fragment some forest habitat. While NAS included significant detail about all of the various potential impacts, virtually no attention was given to what the industry and conservation groups are doing to reduce those impacts, such as the research work being conducted by the Bats & Wind Energy Cooperative(BWEC), a collaborative of the American Wind Energy Association, Bat Conservation International, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NAS did not provide as much detail on expected emissions savings. What is included in the report, however, is one rather conservative scenario where wind still displaces 140 million tons of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas, annually by 2020--which is 30% of the expected emissions increase in the electricity sector by that year.
AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. The association's membership includes turbine manufacturers, wind project developers, utilities, academicians, and interested individuals. More information on wind energy is available at the AWEA web site: www.awea.org. # # # |
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