Guidelines for Windmills

  • Wind farms are being constructed across the nation. Experts think there should be clear criteria about how they're built. (Photo by Lester Graham)

A new study says more planning and
guidelines are needed to put wind energy
farms in the right places. Chuck Quirmbach
reports… windmills are sometimes built in
migrating bird flyways or block scenic views:

Transcript

A new study says more planning and
guidelines are needed to put wind energy
farms in the right places. Chuck Quirmbach
reports… windmills are sometimes built in
migrating bird flyways or block scenic views:


Wind energy generation has been growing and the growth is expected to
continue. A report by the National Research Council predicts that by
the year 2020, wind energy will offset the increase in carbon dioxide
pollution from coal-burning power plants by almost 5 percent. But wind
turbines can disturb wildlife and to some people, be an eyesore. So the
new report recommends that regulators adopt an evaluation guide for
proposed projects.


Study director David Policansky says the guide should make it easier to
site wind farms:


“So even if following that guide leads people to avoid some areas, we
believe that following the guide will just rationalize the process and
make it more streamlined and effective for everybody.”


The study also urges governments to work together to analyze the
cumulative effect of wind projects.


For the Environment Report, I’m Chuck Quirmbach.

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