FAQs

Below we answer some of the most frequently asked questions on wind power.

Wind energy and environmental impact

• Are wind turbines noisy?
• Don't wind turbines kill lots of birds?
• Do wind turbines spoil the landscape?
• Do wind turbines frighten livestock?
• How long does it take for a turbine to 'pay back' the electricity used to manufacture it?
• How safe is wind energy?
• Will building wind turbines help prevent global warming?
• Doesn't the dirty back up power required when the wind stops blowing mean that the CO2 saving is wiped out?
• What is an Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE)?

Public opinion

• How popular is wind energy?
• Why is there opposition to wind farms?
• Does wind farming affect tourism?
• I want to visit a wind farm, where is the nearest one to me?

The mechanics and workings of wind turbines

• What are wind turbines made of?
• How big are they?
• How does a wind turbine make electricity?
• How strong does the wind have to blow for the wind turbines to work?
• How fast do the blades turn?
• How much space do wind turbines require?
• What happens when the wind stops blowing?
• How long do wind turbines last?
• What happens when a wind farm is taken down
  / decommissioned?
• How much electricity does one wind turbine produce?
• Can wind meet all our electricity needs?
• How much of the time do wind turbines produce electricity?

Wind energy and health

• Are wind farms harmful to our health as sources of infrasound?

Wind energy economics

• Isn't wind power really expensive?
• Do wind farms create jobs?

Wind turbines on your property

• Could I put a turbine in my garden or on the roof of my house?
• I'm a farmer, can I put a wind farm on my land?
• Do wind farms affect house prices?

Offshore wind farms

• Why don't we put all the wind turbines out to sea?

Beyond wind

• What about other forms of renewable energy?
• Isn't energy efficiency just as important?

If your question is not answered here, or you would like more information, please try:

• The website of the New Zealand Wind Energy Association
• The website of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority
• The website of the Danish Wind Industry Association which contains a lot of useful information
• Or go to the links section of this site.