48 responses to “Windmills & Birds: What’s the true price of wind energy?”

1. 

   Phillip Jenkins September 16th, 2009 at 17:22

   They need to create defensive mechanisms to prevent birds from flying into them. Fans have casings to prevent children from putting their fingers into the blades. They have air cannons to scare birds from landing in salt lakes so that they don’t die. I’m sure a frequency that birds find unfavorable would ward them off. Maybe a scarecrow. We don’t stop power plants for polluting the environment, just regulate the negative effects. Hydro-electric dams cause flooding and kill land animals. Yet we don’t rid ourselves of them because of the infrequent probability. There are safety measures they just have not thought of or taken.

2. 

   Christina Jacobs September 16th, 2009 at 17:41

   There are many times I have left a light on, common mistake. I have never thought of the number of birds I have killed, but maybe the next time I will. I agree with the previous statement. Is there something that can be created in order to keep the birds away from the windmill area?

3. 

   Ryan Pogotis September 16th, 2009 at 17:45

   I like the idea of improving the safety of wind mills. Any extra costs associated with fines for windmills should show exactly what the money will be fixing. A fine for pollution or bird deaths wouldn’t prevent any more deaths. Animals are also capable of adapting to their surroundings, so the bird’s migratory patterns and hunting habits should improve and cause fewer deaths. I don’t really like the windmill idea at all though. I think as much power could be generated from smaller wind and hydro electric generators in greater numbers. I have an idea that power could be

4. 

   Emily Wetterich September 16th, 2009 at 18:02

   This is really sad. It does seem like a waste and an oxymoron to protect these birds and their migratory paths and then have them killed by something that is supposed to help the environment. I didn’t know birds cost so much either. Are these mills really right in the middle of migratory paths and eagle hot spots?

5. 

   Aaron Curtis September 16th, 2009 at 18:18

   I dont like the windmill ideas at all, with many new ways to harvest energeny out there, I think that the harmful ways should like these wind mills should be either relocated, ir stopped all together.

6. 

   Alex Lewis September 16th, 2009 at 18:58

   I think the idea of windmills and alternate sources are a great idea. I do think though that certain measures need to be taken in order to prevent the killings. We have ways to regulate pollution, why can’t we find a way to keep birds from being killed through some noise frequency? If there proves to be a cost effective method that enables us to prevent the killings then I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t.

7. 

   Yi Li September 16th, 2009 at 19:27

   Technology conflicts with environment lots of times. You can’t solve all of these problems, but you may try to improve them. As for me, I definitely won’t waste electricity any more.

8. 

   Sree Harsha Uddandam September 16th, 2009 at 19:42

   I think there should be some serious action taken against the wind mill companies .
   It is not fair that other companies are paying such huge amounts for killing the birds and the wind mill companies are paying nothing.
   The wind mill companies should also take some steps to overcome the number of killing birds.

9. 

   Lyndsey S. September 16th, 2009 at 19:53

   There has to be a way to keep birds from coming within a certain distance of these windmills and even the electric plants. If it’s as simple as putting a plastic noise piece on the front of your car to keep deer from coming near, shouldn’t there be something to keep birds near?? Hmmm…..what to do? What to do?

10. 

    Lyndsey S. September 16th, 2009 at 19:54

    On another note, I feel like I should turn off my lights because I don’t want to kill the birdies!! I’m going hippie.

11. 

    Chris Miller September 16th, 2009 at 19:55

    Windmill companies should invest serious money in research and development to prevent the birds’ deaths as I’m sure some legislature will be enacted against them.

12. 

    Katelyne Moody September 16th, 2009 at 20:14

    Honestly I don’t think this is a problem. I feel sorry for the eagles, but i think the human need for energy is much greater than the need for eagles. If there was such a great care for animals and other naturally occuring species where humans were interferring, then we wouldn’t of starting logging down forest. There is always going to be loss of something with any sort of advancement.

    –Katelyne–

13. 

    Brian Lee September 16th, 2009 at 20:27

    I agree with those who are saying we should improve the safety of windmills. I mean, it can’t be that hard to put some cover over the mills like the small fans we have in our dorms. Using something like barbed wire type fencing shouldn’t be that big of a cost I don’t think.

14. 

    Zacheriah Ruggles September 16th, 2009 at 20:37

    There is a great opportunity for someone to come up with a solution for this problem and act on it. It would be a very profitable company if you could come up with a way to keep birds out of windmills while still being able to create all the energy.

15. 

    Zhiheng Liu September 16th, 2009 at 20:47

    I don’t think we really can make that much of a difference. Look at the dining courts, their lights are never turned off what so ever! And all the electricity used to provide traffic lights, advertisement lights, I don’t think I can use nearly as much electricity in a month as any of the dining courts uses in one night (with no person in it). And that’s the point, unless we reshape the way government thinks, there’s nothing much we can do to help.

16. 

    Micajah Green September 16th, 2009 at 20:59

    I agree with Emily, it is a complete oxymoron that we are “helping” the environment by using alternative fuels yet killing thousands and thousands of birds…and not just crows but golden eagles! I think either the windmills need major readjustment or this idea should be sacked completely.

17. 

    Chris Perry September 16th, 2009 at 21:12

    I know there are several ways to stop birds from flying into areas they are not wanted in, so the question becomes why arnt they using them? do they need to be fined for each bird death? Also if that many birds are dying what other animals that feed off the birds are starving to death? What animals such as mice are going to be breading more and carring diseases? Birds are one problem but the big picture is even more grim than losing the birds. This is something that can be stopped before its out of hand not 20 years from now when we have lost and destroyed several ecosystems.

18. 

    Theresa Reinhart September 16th, 2009 at 21:46

    This is a scary situation to put ourselves in and very contradictory. Isn’t the main goal for implementing wind-energy sources to try and stop, or possibly reverse the damages humanity has inflicted on our environment??? Instead, we are just creating another problem that will need to be solved by another generation in the future.

19. 

    Zack Saunders September 16th, 2009 at 23:15

    You would think there would be a way to keep birds safe and away from the windmills. Why hasn’t anyone invented something to protect them?

20. 

    Ankit Buti September 16th, 2009 at 23:58

    I have always had a prejudice that producing energy from a source such as wind mills has no side effects. But, these are shocking figures.
    But i still feel this problem can be fixed easily by producing mechanisms which can prevent the birds from flying into the wings.

21. 

    Brent McClean September 17th, 2009 at 00:24

    There is always a cost and a benefit. Do you know the cost for every single thing you do daily? I doubt it, but once you know some specific fact like this, it makes you interpret in a different way/value.

22. 

    Erica Lied September 17th, 2009 at 07:05

    I think its horrible that so many birds, especially endangered species are being killed. In addition to that, I believe that some compensation is needed to be made because of it, but it is so hard to put a price on a life. How much is a life really worth? Even though they are just birds they are still living breathing animals. It is truly hard to decide what is right here.

23. 

    Marisa Strupp September 17th, 2009 at 07:28

    I didn’t even know that the bird population was in term oil because of the windmills. I guess I should be leaving my lights off, I’d save birds and money.It will be interesting to what the government decides to do and take action about the windmills, considering the bird situation.

24. 

    Karlis Jansons September 17th, 2009 at 07:28

    It’s interesting to learn how many birds windmill kills a year… Although this number is large, how many animals are being killed by our current energy production methods such as coal plants.. It will be interesting to see what kind of solution is proposed for this problem when/if taxes are levied on bird deaths.

25. 

    Paul Kweon September 17th, 2009 at 07:42

    The article provides an interesting argument: since we, human beings, are a part of the nature/ecosystem, we should somehow undo the damage. Still, I think it is ridiculous to charge “social cost” to people.

26. 

    Chris Cookley September 17th, 2009 at 08:09

    If it is possible to construct windmills and reduce the number of the birds being killed, that option should probably be explored. As it is, windmills are an excellent source of renewable energy, which is something we desperately need. If the country wasn’t so foolishly adverse to nuclear power plants we wouldn’t need to build as many windmills, and the bird kills wouldn’t be as large of an issue. We need alternative energy sources, we just need to figure out which alternative energy we want to use.

27. 

    Josh Dennison September 17th, 2009 at 08:53

    this is a very tough topic because wind energy is right there for the taking but the subtle cost will creep up on us. i dont think it is right to tax people for the windmills killing birds because thats not solving the problem engineers need to develop one of the following, a preventative measure on the windmills that wont kill birds, which could be difficult, or find an even better form of energy or method in which isnt going to kill anything in nature

28. 

    Aditya Vinnakota September 17th, 2009 at 09:03

    It comes down to two possible solutions; an immediate change of venue for the windmills that does not conflict with bird’s migratory paths or to just shut down the mills all together. I would have thought that this problem would have been dealt with much earlier. I mean come on, golden eagles?

29. 

    Jake Vanhooser September 17th, 2009 at 09:07

    I think that it is inevitable that some birds will die. We kill millions of birds a year doing otherthings such as driving or flying but that doesn’t mean we should stay home and not drive or fly anywhere. It is a price that we have to pay to have good alternative energy sources

30. 

    Zheng Wang September 17th, 2009 at 09:36

    It is time for the new energy resourses creators to take into consideration the impacts its new energy sourses will have on the environment. If the new kind of energy is harming the environment, then it is not sustainable.

31. 

    Will Chandler September 17th, 2009 at 09:58

    I have left many lights and other power sources on before. I never thought about the fact that i might be killing a few birds because the fact is… if im not doing it someone else will. Whether i use the electricity or someone else is, the fact is that either way birds will die regardless. Im not sure how reliable these sources are but if this is the case i guess its time to find another resource that costs next to nothing and is as renewable as wind…

32. 

    Andrew Rodriguez September 17th, 2009 at 10:11

    Everything in the world today is ‘green’. “Global Warming is killing the earth…Nobody cares about the whales…etc.”
    At some point, you have to step back and think. Which is more important, the attempt to keep current climates and end the mass consumption of fossil fuels by alternative energy sources such as Wind Turbines, or the preservation of birds based on more than likely over-exaggerated statistics?
    You can’t care about everything! This is why earth is a Survival-of-the-fittest game, proven by previous extinctions of thousands of species and also proven by evolution of others simply adapting their being in order to carry on.
    We need energy, preferrably from low cost alternative sources.
    We have a desire to survive.
    If that means the death of a few birds…so be it.

33. 

    Sanford C September 17th, 2009 at 10:20

    I thought the loud noise from the wind mill will drive the birds away…
    There are cost to things, in my opinion, if there could be a breeding program implemented for the recovering of these species being killed, the problem shouldn’t be as serious. We have learned to make changes to adapt to new environment, the birds can probably do that as well…eventually

34. 

    Stephen Williams II September 17th, 2009 at 11:01

    A life, no matter how large or small the being may be, is not worth the “benefits” of another. That goes for all of the people who eat meat. Stop killing animals for energy and “sustenance”. Be a vegetarian/vegan.

35. 

    Marisa Nakajima September 17th, 2009 at 11:43

    There are pluses and minuses to every business, even the “environmental friendly” ones. Sure birds are being killed, but I guess this is where natural selection comes into play. Precautions could be taken, but it depends if the cost is worth saving these birds or not. Taxes being given back to the people on the other hand would be nice, but it’s not necessary. Afterall we are the ones using the energy and essentially killing these birds.

36. 

    Mayura Davda September 17th, 2009 at 12:01

    Why doesn’t the concerned department do anything in favor of the innocent birds? I mean, why don’t they just design and develop a technique to help the birds change their path towards the windmills?!
    If at all, the government ends up taxing the windmill industry for causing the damage, they should really utilize the tax money to design and develop and execute efficient means that save the lives of the innocent birds and HELP MAKE THE SAD SCENARIO GET BETTER!

37. 

    Xi Wu September 17th, 2009 at 13:21

    What will the government do if they get the money? Will they stop the ‘windmills’? Whatever the form of the energy is, there will be destruction to the environment, even though some of them seem to be environmental friendly. The birds died not because of the ‘wind’, but the increasing demand of energy of the society of the human beings, or the greed to use the resource without limit. If people don’t consider the earth that they depend on, there won’t be any bird some day.

38. 

    Greg Forney September 17th, 2009 at 13:37

    I strongly support increased security around them to keep the birds out, and if that’s not possible I honestly don’t think that this is worth it.

39. 

    Leah Keough September 17th, 2009 at 15:56

    This all boils down to the opinion of those who are more environmentally friendly versus those who are more for the needs of us as people. I believe that that our needs come first, and we shouldn’t be this worried about the birds. Yes, it is somewhat tragic, but it comes down to the needs of humans and the abundance of certain species. The ideal solution would be to create something that would keep the birds away, but other than that, I think it is what it is.

40. 

    Nathan Ferguson September 17th, 2009 at 16:43

    I had a guest speaker in my AGEC 298 class about this today. I honestly dont see a huge problem about the birds. I just wouldnt want to get wind turbine syndrome

41. 

    Cara Cymbala September 17th, 2009 at 17:38

    I think that the windmills are great. They just sit there are create energy. They don’t pollute the environment, use up our water sources or other resources, and they don’t require a lot of equipment. I think the dead birds are a small price to pay for such a large source of creating energy. Perphaps the birds that have been killed off can be bred and released again into the wild. I’m no bird expert, just a thought.

42. 

    Joshua Johnson September 17th, 2009 at 18:11

    This was a big eye-opener. I never knew that by me leaving a light on in my house it would effect birds. This proves that conserving energy is very important on many different levels.

43. 

    Olivia Freeman September 17th, 2009 at 18:30

    I feel like this is such an interesting issue. It really makes me realize just how oblivious I was to just how much a wind mill even has an effect on the environment. When we place something on this Earth it is bound to interrupt with the course of nature in some. Sometimes we forget how even the littlest thing that we do has humans has such a ripple effect across the world. I do feel bad that these birds are dying…but you think that the birds would get the hint right? And stop flying into those large swooping blades.

44. 

    Eugene September 17th, 2009 at 22:03

    I agree with Phillip Jenkins. There are other ways to solve this problem than taxing. For some reason, every government thinks taxes are the solution to every problem + Phillip offered some possibly viable solutions(a frequency that birds don’t like) I like that one simple, cheap and best of all, tax free

45. 

    Bin Lin September 18th, 2009 at 12:40

    I totally agree with the point the Philip made. Taxing would not be the only way to solve the problem. it’s was an interesting issue, because it just made me realize that no matter how people protect the environment, there are always something would have effect on it. There are many things out there just out of human’s mind.

46. 

    Shawn Tomlinson September 18th, 2009 at 17:39

    I don’t understand how this many birds can die from windmills. With all of the potential funding coming from the government for alternative energy why isn’t there research on how to solve this problem. Maybe use the tax revenue to try to alleviate this problem on the ecosystem. Why solve one problem by creating another?

47. 

    Chris Borer September 20th, 2009 at 23:38

    There is definetly another way to solve the problem of birds flying into windmills. Have they ever though of making the windmills safer? The governments needs to stop taxing people to solve problems and just think of a solution without taking our money.

48. 

    Alex Selby September 21st, 2009 at 09:43

    Seeing as it’s government mandated, I can’t imagine the government also demanding a tax be placed on it. While windmills can be an eye sore, they’re only native to certain areas (I’m from upstate New York, don’t see them very often). I know very little about birds (frequency ranges?) But what if they had something “undesirable” to birds to keep them away, as previously mentioned. Is this really any different from deforestation, oil rigging, or mining? (in terms of animals affected)