Global Review on Environmental Impacts of Onshore Wind Energy in the Field of Tension between Human Societies and Natural Systems

Leon Sander (), Christopher Jung () and Dirk Schindler
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Leon Sander: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany
Christopher Jung: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany
Dirk Schindler: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-33

Abstract: Deploying onshore wind energy as a cornerstone of future global energy systems challenges societies and decision-makers worldwide. Expanding wind energy should contribute to a more sustainable electricity generation without harnessing humans and their environment. Opponents often highlight the negative environmental impacts of wind energy to impede its expansion. This study reviews 152 studies to synthesize, summarize, and discuss critically the current knowledge, research gaps, and mitigation strategies on the environmental impacts of onshore wind energy. The investigated effects comprise impacts on the abiotic and biotic environment, with birds and bats in particular, noise and visual impacts. Effects are discussed in the context of social acceptance, other energy technologies, and wind energy expansion in forests. This review illustrates that many effects are highly case-specific and must be more generalizable. Studies are biased regarding the research focus and areas, needing more standardized research methods and long-term measurements. Most studies focus on the direct mortality of birds and bats at wind farms and are concentrated in Europe and North America. Knowledge gaps persist for many impact categories, and the efficacy of mitigation strategies has yet to be proven. More targeted, unbiased research is required that allows for an objective evaluation of the environmental impacts of wind energy and strategies to mitigate them. Impacts, such as those on biodiversity, need to be addressed in the context of other anthropogenic influences and the benefits of wind energy. This forms the basis for a socially acceptable, efficient, and sustainable expansion of wind energy.

Keywords: climate change; wind turbines; forests; biodiversity; microclimate; landscape; noise impacts; visual impacts; land use; social acceptance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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