China is a big advocate of wind power.
Relying on any one method though is stupid, a combination is needed.
China is a big advocate of wind power.
So? So is the US, Scotland, Denmark… what does that have to do with wind turbines being bad for the environment, impossible to recycle and less efficient than the alternative (nuclear)?
bad for the environment
A short summary:
Offshore wind farms have a big impact on underwater pollution. From their construction to their deployment, offshore wind farms, with their turbines and metallic foundations, generate noise and vibrations below the sea surface (called “anthropogenic noise” because it is unnatural and human-made) that disturb marine life and flora, especially for the underwater mammals that rely on sound (like echolocation or vocalization) to survive in the ocean.
https://sinay.ai/en/does-offshore-wind-affect-marine-life/
But here’s a full report on environmental impacts where it is all rated “moderate” severe: https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renewable-energy/state-activities/Revolution_Wind_DEIS__Vol1and2_508_compressed.pdf
impossible to recycle
The blades are impossible to recycle.
In the US alone, some 8,000 blades were pulled down in 2021. Most blades were landfilled because there wasn’t much else that could be done with them.
https://cen.acs.org/environment/recycling/companies-recycle-wind-turbine-blades/100/i27
By 2030, it is estimated that more than 52,000 tons of wind turbine blades will need to be recycled each year in Europe alone.
less efficient than the alternative (nuclear)
I already posted a link to the MIT website where they say you need around 900 wind turbines to match the power output of an average/medium-sized nuclear power plant.
