Abstract
Wind power is increasingly being used worldwide as an important contribution to renewable energy. The development of wind power may lead to unexpected environmental impacts. This paper systematically reviews the available evidence on the impacts of wind energy on environments in terms of noise pollution, bird and bat fatalities, greenhouse gas emissions, and land surface impacts. We conclude that wind energy has an important role to play in future energy generation, but more effort should be devoted to studying the overall environmental impacts of wind power, so that society can make informed decisions when weighing the advantages and disadvantages of particular wind power development.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 437-443 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews |
| Volume | 49 |
| Early online date | 15 May 2015 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funder
UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), United Kingdom (Grant no. NE/GOO7748/1 )Funding
The study was supported by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), United Kingdom (Grant no. NE/GOO7748/1 ) award: ‘Integrated approaches to ecosystem services and energy: assessing the global and local impacts on ecosystem services of energy provision in the UK’. We gratefully acknowledge the helpful comments from Pete Smith (University of Aberdeen, UK) and the anonymous referees.
Keywords
- Bat fatality
- Bird fatality
- Environmental impact
- Greenhouse gas
- Wind power
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
