Clean Energy, Clear Coastal Views
Offshore wind turbines are safe for birds and marine life
On a hazy summer day, offshore wind parks will not be visible.
Modern wind turbines are remarkably quiet, and cannot be heard from the shore.
Electricity generated by wind sources is some of the cleanest-generated energy on earth: There are no greenhouse gases, no pollution, no carcinogens, no waste heat that kills delicate organisms, nothing toxic whatsoever. As Americans learn more about the dangers of global warming and confront the health effects of pollution, the call for clean, safe, renewable energy grows louder and louder. That call is being answered, in part, by the development of wind parks.
Preserving coastal views
One of the most compelling aspects of an offshore wind park is how small it appears on the horizon. The wind parks proposed by NRG Bluewater Wind have minimal visual impact, because the offshore turbines would be located more than six miles from shore. On a typical summer day, the haze often renders the turbines invisible. On a clear typical winter day, the turbines are slightly visible and would appear to be about half the size of a thumbnail when one's arm is extended and as thin as a toothpick. See an example of what a NRG Bluewater Wind Park would look like here.
Protecting birds and marine life
Fifteen years of data from offshore wind plants operating in Europe confirm that offshore wind parks are safe for avian and marine life (read more).
For example, a study of the Horns Rev Wind Park in Denmark examined waterfowl migration patterns around the installation. The findings showed birds quickly adapted and successfully avoided the turbines, with less than one percent flying close enough to be even possibly at risk of collision. In addition, there were no significant negative impacts found on fish, flora and fauna.
The Sierra Club magazine, reports that: "Efforts to make turbines safer for birds seem to be working. According to a 2003 study of 4,700 [on-shore] turbines located outside California, each killed 2.3 birds per year. That's a tiny number compared with the hundreds of millions of birds that fall prey to cats every year, or the 4 million, at a minimum, that collide with communication towers. And it pales in comparison to the number of birds and other creatures that would be killed by catastrophic global warming."
Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, recently led a fact-finding mission to offshore wind turbines in Denmark. Read her "Letter from Denmark".
Wind turbines are also compatible with fish and other marine life. In fact, the turbine foundations are quickly transformed into artificial reefs, where fish populations can grow and thrive.
Keeping it quiet
Wind turbines are remarkably quiet. Today's high-tech machines create a gentle "whooshing" sound which is usually difficult to discern from the noise of wind in your ears or general background noise. At a distance of 750 to 1,000 feet, modern windmills are no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator. NRG Bluewater Wind's turbines will be at least 31,680 feet (six highway miles) from land, and therefore impossible to hear while on the beach or boating near shore.
Rigorous studies are done to ensure that wind parks are safe for the environment.
Learn why offshore wind is safe for humans as well.
