So I did a little research on the bird issue. I still couldn't find migration patterns, but I did look on Cape Wind's website (http://www.capewind.org/news491.htm) to see what they said about birds.
The Cape Wind project was compared to the Altamont Pass, a wind farm in California, despite the fact that it is in a completely different locations. It would be best to compare it to another offshore wind farm. A study was done at at Nysted, one of the offshore wind farms in Denmark with 72 turbines. Over the turbine's 6 year operation period, observation of wild fowl show that less than 1% of ducks and geese in the area fly close enough to be threatened by the turbines. They also apparently flew further away at night. This study, along with another at Horns Rev, also in Denmark, used infrared cameras to monitor some of the turbines. Out of 2,400 hours of footage, only 15 birds and bats, and one moth, flew close enough to be recorded. Only one bird/bat actually collided with a structure. (http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/18167/)
I realize that I'm still being a bit harsh and getting my data from those who will benefit from the wind farms. The Birdlife International website (http://www.ornithologiki.gr/gr/politiki/wind_birdlife.php) made an interesting and importand point. They said, "Climate change is widely recognised as posing the most serious threat to people and global biodiversity." We need to begin weaning ourselves off of fossil fuel dependence and seek out new, renewable energy sources. This may involve sacrificing a few birds for the greater benefit of the biosphere at large.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wind Power
After reading a little about the Bluewater Wind project in Deleware, and hearing some of people's views and concerns about wind power, I still believe it to be a brilliant idea. It is a new technology so there will be many kinks to work out and problems to be worked around, but there is also the possibility for so much advancement in the new technology.
Just think about oil. We began utilizing it in it's crude form and have since been refining and advancing the technology to change it and be powered by it so that now we even have different gradients of octane for different cars to use. People are concerned that wind is unreliable as a power source, after all having a constant wind at a steady rate for even a short time is very odd. But just because we do not yet have the technology to store that excess energy for times of calm does not mean that it will never exist. Just having the idea of it, and having an industry to supply that new technology to, will spur scientists into a flurry of activity.
Another major concern is the aesthetic aspect. People do not want their pristine ocean view to be marred by these massive wind turbines. I personally think they are clean cut pieces of engineering artwork. Unlike wind turbines on land however, these would be located on an offshore sandbar. Other proposed wind farms would be located 5 to 7 miles out, but in Delaware they would be located 12 miles out. Considering a normal person standing on the beach can see a horizon only 3 to 4 miles away, I don't think many people would be that disconcerting about tiny blips on the horizon, if they noticed anything at all.
Another major concern is bird kills (I don't believe bats would be a factor that far out at sea). Do birds actually go that far out on a regular basis? I feel like most migrating birds would be fairly far away from the danger. Not to mention any bird lacking the skill to evade a slowly turning wind turbine may deserve to be taken out for the good of the species, just my feeling.
Just think about oil. We began utilizing it in it's crude form and have since been refining and advancing the technology to change it and be powered by it so that now we even have different gradients of octane for different cars to use. People are concerned that wind is unreliable as a power source, after all having a constant wind at a steady rate for even a short time is very odd. But just because we do not yet have the technology to store that excess energy for times of calm does not mean that it will never exist. Just having the idea of it, and having an industry to supply that new technology to, will spur scientists into a flurry of activity.
Another major concern is the aesthetic aspect. People do not want their pristine ocean view to be marred by these massive wind turbines. I personally think they are clean cut pieces of engineering artwork. Unlike wind turbines on land however, these would be located on an offshore sandbar. Other proposed wind farms would be located 5 to 7 miles out, but in Delaware they would be located 12 miles out. Considering a normal person standing on the beach can see a horizon only 3 to 4 miles away, I don't think many people would be that disconcerting about tiny blips on the horizon, if they noticed anything at all.
Another major concern is bird kills (I don't believe bats would be a factor that far out at sea). Do birds actually go that far out on a regular basis? I feel like most migrating birds would be fairly far away from the danger. Not to mention any bird lacking the skill to evade a slowly turning wind turbine may deserve to be taken out for the good of the species, just my feeling.
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