Get Informed
Learn the facts about wind energy and health, the environment, property values and decommissioning.
Do wind turbines negatively impact our health?
No. When properly sited, wind turbines are a safe and effective means of generating electricity.
Wind energy actually provides significant public health benefits by improving air quality which helps to reduce asthma and breathing related illnesses.4
The first wind turbines came online in the U.S. in the 1980’s – and people have been safely living and working around wind turbines for generations.
The weight of scientific evidence, including more than 80 peer-reviewed studies, shows properly sited wind turbines are not related to adverse health effects.1,2 This includes concerns around: audible noise, low frequency noise, infrasound, and shadow flicker.
Studies have found the mere preception of a negative impact, known in the scientific-medical profession as the “nocebo” effect (the opposite of the “placebo” effect) can lead individuals who are subject to misinformation about wind energy to mis-report negative health effects when there actually is no evidence for the health effects.3
Wind Turbines and Sound
Turbines only run when the wind is blowing. When ground level winds are high, the sound of the wind masks most of the turbine sound. The sound from the rotating blades may be audible depending on many variables, such as your distance from the turbine, weather conditions and time of day. Infrasound, which is a sound below 20 Hz and often described as inaudible to humans, is generated by a wide range of everyday sources, including cars, severe weather - and even wind itself.
The level of infrasound measured within wind farms is well below the audibility threshold and far below those that would pose a health risk. Developers work to site wind turbines at a safe distance from homes and businesses so that sound levels meet or exceed all industry best practices and guidelines.
Sources:
1 “Wind turbines and health: a critical review of the scientific literature,” R. McCunney, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2014.
2 “Health effects and wind turbines: a review of the literature,” L. Knopper and C. Ollson, Environmental Health 2011.
3 “The Link Between Health Complaints and Wind Turbines: Support for the Nocebo Expectations Hypothesis,” F. Chrichton, Frontiers in Public Health, 2014.
4 “The climate and air-quality benefits of wind and solar power in the United States,” Millstein, Wiser, Bolinger and Barbose. Nature Energy, August 2017.
Do wind turbines impact birds, bats, and wildlife?
No form of energy is free from environmental impacts; however, wind energy has among the lowest impacts as it emits no air or water pollution. Also, compared to other forms of electric generation, wind turbines occupy a small land footprint – less than an acre per turbine.
Protecting wildlife and sensitive natural habitats is a priority for NextEra Energy Resources. As part of its development process, our company conducts thorough wildlife studies and ensures each site complies with all local, state, and federal environmental regulations.
We develop and employ best management practices and work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in addition to state and provincial wildlife agencies to site wind turbines responsibly.
We work to avoid impacts to wetlands that may provide habitats for migratory birds and use buffers to avoid impact to nesting birds.
When properly sited, wind turbines pose less danger to birds than other common structures such as buildings or roads.1
We conduct monitoring for potential wildlife impacts at each site following construction and throughout the life of the project.
Leading Environmental Preservation
NextEra Energy Resources has contributed millions of dollars toward wildlife conservation across North America. The investment in research will help with the continual improvement of turbine siting as well as further studies on avian populations and minimization of impacts.
Since 2009, we have partnered with Texas Christian University (TCU) on research aimed at reducing the impact of wind energy production on birds and bats. TCU, with funding from our company, constructed a dedicated "bat flight room" for studying bat behavior. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, TCU scientists have recently extended these research efforts to develop a new technology that could reduce bats' interest in approaching wind turbine towers.
In Canada, we’ve also partnered with Bat Conservation International (BCI) to test new technology to protect bats. Ultrasonic Acoustic Deterrents (UADs) are devices that emit high frequency sound that is inaudible to humans, pets, or livestock; however, the sound discourages bats from flying near wind turbines.
Sources:
1 Erickson, W. et. Al. “A Comprehensive Analysis of Small-Passerine Fatalities from Collision with Turbines at Wind Energy Facilities.” Plos One (September, 2014)
What impact will a wind farm have on my property value?
Despite what you may have heard, multiple studies have concluded that wind farms pose no significant long-term impact to property values.
Wind energy projects drive economic development, job growth, and tax revenue for their host communities, which benefits landowners, neighbors, and land values in the area.
Landowners who host a wind turbine on their property earn regular lease payments that transfer with the sale of the property, adding to its value. While some potential property buyers may be hesitant to purchase land near wind turbines, academic studies show that the positive impacts of a wind energy project either balance or outweigh any negative impacts.
As an example, a study of more than 50,000 home sales among 27 counties in nine states found no statistical evidence that home prices near wind farms were affected by the wind farm.1 Another study conducted in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, found there was no statistically relevant relationship between the presence of a wind project and negative effects on property values.2
Real-world Example:
“There is a lot of real estate sales activity and many properties in the area of the NextEra Windfarm project are selling for substantially higher prices than what is reflected on the current assessment rolls. For the 2015 calendar year Assessor’s Office data shows 712 single family residential properties sold in the areas around the Windfarm and transmission line corridor. The total value of those sales was just under $181.1 million dollars. This represents an increase of $42.9 million over the current Assessor’s Market Value on those same properties. An even greater increase in value is indicated by the sales of 30 parcels of grazing land for $5.4 million representing a $3.7 million dollar increase over Assessor’s Market Value on those properties.”
– Steve Schlieker, El Paso County Assessor, El Paso County, CO3
Sources:
1 Wind Farm Proximity and Property Values: A Pooled Hedonistic Regression Analysis of Property Values in Central Illinois. Jennifer L. Hinman, (May 2010).
2 A Spatial Hedonic Analysis of the Effects of Wind Energy Facilities on Surrounding Property Values in the United States. Hoen, B., Brown, J., Jackson, T., Wiser, R., Thayer, M. and Cappers, P. (2013). Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA. 151 pages.
3 County Assessor Reports Spike in Home and Property Values Near Calhan Wind Farm, 02/18/2016, The Gazette [Colorado], Ryan Maye Handy.
Additional Research:
The Impact of Wind Power Projects on Residential Property Values in the United States: A Multi-Site Hedonic Analysis. Hoen, B., Wiser, R., Cappers, P., Thayer, M. and Sethi, G. (2009). Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA. December, 2009. 146 pages. LBNL-2829E.
What happens at the end of a wind farm’s useful life?
A wind farm is designed to operate for at least 20-30 years, during which time it will be carefully managed and maintained. Over time, we can also replace aging wind turbines with newer, more efficient technology to extend their useful lives for many more years.
When turbines are eventually decommissioned, we remove the wind turbines and return the landscape to its original condition.
To ensure taxpayers do not pay for removing any part of a wind farm, as part of a decommissioning, our company makes financial commitments to pay the full costs of removal.
In a typical decomissioning, every component of the turbine within four feet of the surface is removed from the site. We approach the landowners prior to the decommissioning to determine, at their discretion, if they want any of the infrastructure (particularly the roads) left behind for the benefit of their operations.
This ensures farming, ranching and other future land uses can continue, unimpeded by any remnants of the wind farm.
Would you remove the wind farm if the conditions are ideal for one?
Not necessarily. When we have identified a site with good wind resources, available land and connection to the power grid, instead of decommissioning it, we may decide to continue generating power, updating turbine technology as it evolves.
In California’s Altamont Pass, we replaced 283 turbines that were more than 30-years old, with just 20 modern wind turbines capable of generating more electricity with twice the efficiency of the previous wind project. The process, known as repowering, helps extend the life-span of many wind farms.
“Replacing some of the earliest wind technology with modern, efficient turbines, and allowing an opportunity for a public utility like Sonoma Clean Power to invest directly in clean energy for its citizens helps both reduce the cost of electricity and the impact of facilities like this on our environment," said California Energy Commissioner, David Hochschild.