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Maddie Heiner

Woelke

APEL P.3

15 November 2020

Wind Turbines Essay

Our society today is constantly demanding for large amounts of energy, which is

obtained primarily through the use of materials such as coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear

power. Our beloved environment is becoming polluted and destroyed because of this method

of collecting power, and our society is wasting time and money. The installation of wind

turbines for the use of collecting wind energy could be seen as a potential solution to this

problem. Although this may be true, before agencies come to the conclusion to construct wind

turbines, they need to consider the pressing factors regarding human health, environmental

consequences and efficiency levels associated with the implication of wind farms in our society.

The most important factor for consideration is the effect of wind farms on human health

and physical well being. Studies have shown that turbines are a contributing factor to the

symptoms of “nausea, vertigo, blurred vision, unsteady movement, and difficulty reading,

remembering, and thinking”(Source C). These effects could potentially cause major setbacks to

the daily lives of people that live close to turbines, which would, therefore, create large

populations of individuals that have concerning health issues as a consequence of wind farm

establishments. Is this widespread repercussion really worth obtaining wind energy? Although

turbines may seem like beneficial implications, they may not be worth risking stable health

conditions. As stated in Source C, wind turbines also create high levels of “uneven” and
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repetitive “pulsing” noise, making the wind sound hard to neglect and increasingly more

aggravating as it continues. According to Jim Cummings, executive director of the Acoustic

Ecology Institute, this noise is perceived to be louder at night and has the potential to cause

sleep complications to many people. Sleep is essential to healing, obtaining energy, and

creating functionality in the human body. When sleep is disrupted or deprived of our bodies,

“we become dysfunctional”(Source C) and cannot adequately complete the pressing tasks of

life. For these health concerning issues, agencies should consider wind farm establishments

while keeping a perspective on human well being.

Another meaningful component essential for consideration is the environmental

consequences that come with the construction of wind farms. There are many positive qualities

of turbines from the atmospheric perspective, including a potentially cleaner lifestyle. Contrary

to substances like coal, oil, and natural gas, wind power “doesn't release harmful gasses like

CO2 and nitrogen oxides”(Source B) into the atmosphere, which could eventually lead to a less

polluted environment and the creation of a healthy ecosystem. For this hopeful reason,

turbines seem to be very beneficial, but there is another factor essential for our understanding

before we jump to conclusions. Wind farms can “materially alter a landscape’s

appearance”(Source E) and could potentially cause “land erosion if you dig up the ground to

install turbines”(Source B). These wind farms can be very destructive to the environment, and

in order to preserve the natural beauty of the ecosystem, we need to consider the negative

impacts of wind turbine installations. Through the decision to construct massive turbines for

miles on end, the atmosphere has the potential to become healthier but the environment itself

could simultaneously be damaged.

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The last subject for review is the overall efficiency level of turbines themselves. Wind

energy is a valuable source of power that contains the ability to “generate up to 1.8 MW of

electricity” and under optimal circumstances, can “power nearly 600 households”(Source B).

Wind turbines have the ability to benefit society by providing a way to generate large amounts

of power, but the wind is not the most reliable source to depend on the production of

electricity. Wind speeds fluctuate and vary depending on the day and time, which would then

affect the efficiency levels of the turbines themselves. Even considering this, the graph in

Source F demonstrates how wind power retains 1,164% of energy when converting fuel to

electricity, which is dramatically higher than any other substance or method. With coal, it takes

energy to produce energy, and only 29% of power is retained from this process. When

comparing these two methods, the installation of wind turbines would be the most efficient

way to produce electricity by far.

In all, the establishment of wind farms is a subject of controversy in our day and age.

This is true because turbines have many negative qualities, one being that they could be the

possible catalyst for many health problems and disorders in humans. On the positive side,

however, the implication of turbines could lead to a cleaner atmosphere and they also provide

a more efficient way to obtain energy. Before agencies decide on constructing wind farm

establishments, these factors need to be considered with hope for a better future.