Wind Power
Natural resources—materials or substances found in nature that can be used by humans for personal or economic gain, or even survival—include water, minerals, forests, and fossil fuels, and they are widely used as energy sources. There are two types of natural resources: renewable and nonrenewable. Fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas) are finite, nonrenewable natural resources, formed over millions of years from the remains of ancient plants, animals, and microorganisms that were subjected to enormous heat and pressure deep within the Earth’s crust. Alternative energies include 1) renewable power sources (such as solar, tidal, wind, biofuel, hydroelectric, and geothermal) and 2) nonrenewable nuclear power (considered alternative but not renewable because it relies on uranium, a finite resource not easily replenished).
As reported by the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), at the start of 2024 the United States’ energy consumption remained primarily fossil fuels (78 percent, comprised of 10 percent coal, 44 percent natural gas, and 46 percent oil/petroleum). Nuclear energy comprised 8 percent of total consumption, with renewable sources also comprising 9 percent (of these renewable sources, 1 percent was geothermal, 13 percent solar, 9 percent hydroelectric, 18 percent wind, and 59 percent biomass). (Biomass energy includes the burning of wood, human and animal waste, and agricultural crops for heat and electricity and the converting of crops like corn and soybeans into liquid biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.) Note: Sum of percentages will not always equal exactly 100 percent because of the rounding of numbers.[23][24]
Alternative energies are often called “clean” energies because they generate energy with little pollution, unlike fossil fuels. Whether alternative energy can meet energy demands effectively enough to phase out use of finite (and “dirtier”) fossil fuels is hotly debated.
Wind power plays a pivotal role in this debate.
Wind power is a “form of energy conversion in which turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical or electrical energy that can be used for power,” according to Noelle Eckley Selin of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. [1]
As Selin notes,
Historically, wind power in the form of windmills has been used for centuries for such tasks as grinding grain and pumping water. One of the earliest known wind turbines for electricity generation was built in Scotland in 1887, and remarkable development of the technology took place throughout the 20th century. [1]
More information on wind power and how wind turbines work can be found here.
According to the Global Energy Monitor, there were 17,169 operating wind farms (collections of wind turbines) worldwide as of February 2025. An additional 8,592 prospective wind farms were in various stages of development, from announcement to construction. China had the most wind farms, with 5,406 in operation and 2,858 prospective farms—significantly more than Germany, which was in second place with 2,073 wind farms in operation and 199 prospective farms. China also had the highest operating wind farm capacity (the maximum amount of power, in megawatts or gigawatts, that a wind farm can generate), with 44 percent of the global total. The United States, which had 1,166 operating farms and 215 prospective farms, was second in operating capacity at 15 percent. [2]
Of the 162 countries analyzed by the Global Energy Monitor, only 56 had zero wind farms; of those, only 12 had no plans on record to build wind farms. [2]
However, globally, there were 2,233 wind farm projects that had been “shelved,” “mothballed,” retired, or canceled as of February 2025. The United Kingdom had the most of these at 523, followed by the United States with 294—reasons range from lack of federal funding to economic downturn to loss of local interest in wind farm development. [2]
So, is wind power a good form of energy? Explore the debate below.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Pro 1: Wind power is cheaper than fossil fuel energies. Read More. | Con 1: Wind power is unreliable. Read More. |
| Pro 2: Wind power is clean. Read More. | Con 2: Wind power is too limited, in use and location. Read More. |
| Pro 3: Wind power is safe and getting safer. Read More. | Con 3: Wind power can harm the environment and mar the landscape. Read More. |
Pro Arguments
(Go to Con Arguments)Pro 1: Wind power is cheaper than fossil fuel energies.
Wind power is often cheaper than fossil fuel-based energies, because its energy source is free and renewable. Plus, its operating costs have dropped considerably because of new technology. [8]
As Evergreen Action notes,
Utility-scale solar and onshore wind are still the most cost-effective form[s] of energy in most cases, especially when compared to new-build gas and coal. The cost of building new gas-fired power plants, meanwhile, has hit a 10-year high. [3]
According to a June 2025 financial analysis, onshore wind energy and storage costs less than natural gas, nuclear power, and even solar power. [4]
As the U.S. Department of Energy reports: “Land-based, utility-scale wind turbines provide one of the lowest-priced energy sources available today. Furthermore, wind energy’s cost competitiveness continues to improve with advances in the science and technology of wind energy.” [8]
Pro 2: Wind power is clean.
While the construction of wind turbines releases more greenhouse gases than building a coal or gas power plant, turbines are virtually emission-free once in operation, a claim fossil fuel plants cannot make. [5]
As Forbes journalist Christopher Helman reports, “Wind power has a carbon footprint 99% less than coal-fired power plants, 98% less than natural gas, and a surprise 75% less than solar.” [6]
As explained by the U.S. Energy Information Administration,
Overall, using wind to produce energy has fewer effects on the environment than many other energy sources. Wind turbines do not release emissions that can pollute the air or water (with rare exceptions), and they do not require water for cooling. Wind turbines may also reduce electricity generation from fossil fuels, which results in lower total air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions. [15]
Pro 3: Wind power is safe and getting safer.
When wind turbines are planned and installed, the environment is carefully considered to protect ecosystems. True, it’s estimated that more than a million birds are killed annually by wind turbines in the United States, but many more birds are killed by domestic cats and from flying into windows and buildings. In fact, as the Yale School of the Environment reports,
[Analysts are] researching bird behavior near turbines and devising and testing new technologies to keep birds safe. Some potential solutions are simple, like painting turbine blades in contrasting colors. Others are complex and expensive, like using cameras with A.I. technology to shut turbines down when birds approach. [7]
Also, despite frequent claims to the contrary by opponents of wind energy, there is no proof that offshore wind farms are killing whales. The noise disturbances from building the farms are limited and much less damaging than the consistent, long-term noise of oil rigs. Offshore wind farms can even act as artificial reefs and hunting grounds for animals such as seals, offering them environmental benefits. As journalist Sophie Hardach explains,
Research tracking seals suggests that they now use wind farms as hunting grounds to forage for fish gathering around the turbines, for example, with one seal’s tracks showing how the animal made its way through the farm and stopped at different turbines to snack. [10][17][18]
Additionally, catastrophic blade failures—in which blades detach and fly dangerously through the air—are exceptionally rare, especially with the advanced safety features of new turbines. [21]
Con Arguments
(Go to Pro Arguments)Con 1: Wind power is unreliable.
Simply put, wind turbines don’t produce energy when the wind doesn’t blow.
For example, during the summer and early fall of 2021, Europe experienced dry conditions and low wind speeds that reduced wind and hydroelectric power production. In the United Kingdom and Ireland these conditions lowered output from a major renewable energy supplier by 32 percent. German and Danish energy companies noted similar decreases in energy production. The lack of wind sent energy costs soaring. [20]
Climate change is likely the culprit behind this “global stilling” of wind speeds, which could decrease further by 8–10 percent in Europe. As climate risk analyst Hannah Bloomfield reports,
This can be explained by the cold Arctic warming at a faster rate than equatorial regions, which means there is less difference in temperature between hot and cold areas. This temperature difference is what drives large-scale winds around the globe...the recent wind drought is a clear reminder of how variable this form of [energy] generation can be. [12]
Con 2: Wind power is too limited, in use and location.
Wind power is heavily subsidized by the government to keep costs low, but what the public gets in return for that investment is much too limited. As energy researcher Austin Gae writes, wind energy is not only an intermittent source of energy (producing no energy when the wind doesn’t blow), but it “lacks the versatility of natural gas and oil. While natural gas and oil are integral to a wide range of applications including electricity generation, heating and transportation, wind energy is confined to only electricity generation.” [11]
Moreover, wind turbines can only be situated in certain geographical areas, where there is reliable, strong wind. Unfortunately, as Ana Almerini of SolarReviews explains, many of these places
tend to be in remote areas far outside of cities and towns, in more rural areas or offshore. Because of this distance, new infrastructure, such as power lines, has to be built in order to connect a wind farm to the power grid [which] can be costly and may cause some harm to the surrounding environment (i.e. by tearing down trees to make way for power lines). [13]
Con 3: Wind power can harm the environment and mar the landscape.
Most scientists agree that much more research is needed for a full understanding of wind power’s impact on the environment. As the U.S. Department of Energy reports, “In some circumstances, wind energy projects can negatively impact the surrounding environment...birds and bats, as well as marine mammals and other marine life in the case of offshore wind energy, are of high concern.” [16]
Although scientists have not tied whale deaths to offshore wind turbines (contrary to popular belief), turbines “could potentially disrupt [the whales’] behavioural patterns such as migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding or sheltering,” and the increased ship traffic associated with wind farm construction and maintenance could increase the risk of ship strikes on whales, according to Business Norway. The noise of the turbines and turbine construction may have similar negative effects. [17][18]
In the eyes of many, wind farms are also ugly, stretching for miles and hundreds of feet into the air, marring the natural beauty of the landscape and disrupting views. [22]
Perhaps most concerning is that the magnets in turbines require assorted rare earth elements, and the mining for these is notorious for the “pollution of land, water, and air, spread of toxic wastes, water depletion, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and social disruption,” reports journalist Renée Cho. [14]
Finally, turbine blades—some of which are longer than a football field—are nearly impossible to recycle. Consequently, they are piling up in landfills called “wind turbine graveyards,” further aggravating the U.S.’s garbage problem. [19]
Assessment Quiz
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1-Minute Survey
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Discussion Questions
- Is wind power a good source of energy? Why or why not?
- Compare wind power to nuclear power and solar power. Which do you think is best?
- Compare the environmental benefits of wind power to its environmental consequences. Which of the two is more significant?
Sources
- Noelle Eckley Selin, “Wind Power” (October 12, 2025), britannica.com
- Global Energy Monitor, “Global Wind Power Tracker: Summary Tables” (February 2025), globalenergymonitor.org
- Evergreen Action, “Clean Energy Is Still the Cheapest Energy. States Must Deploy It, Fast.” (July 31, 2025), evergreenaction.com
- Lazard, “Levelized Cost of Energy+: June 2025” (June 2025), lazard.com
- Rahul Rao, “Wind Turbines and Solar Panels Are Lower-Emissions Than Fossil Fuels Overall” (November 28, 2024), science.feedback.org
- Christopher Helman, “How Green Is Wind Power, Really? A New Report Tallies Up the Carbon Cost of Renewables” (April 14, 2022), forbes.com
- Adam Welz, “Birds vs. Wind Turbines: New Research Aims to Prevent Deaths” (June 4, 2025), e360.yale.edu
- U.S. Department of Energy, “Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy” (accessed November 12, 2025), energy.gov
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, “Wind Energy & Environmental Impacts” (accessed November 6, 2025), umces.edu
- Sophie Hardach, “Which Is Worse for Wildlife, Wind Farms or Oil Drilling?” (January 30, 2025), bbc.com
- Austin Gae, “Wind Turbines: Not Green, Not Reliable” (August 2, 2024), heritage.org
- Hannah Bloomfield, “What Europe’s Exceptionally Low Winds Mean for the Future Energy Grid” (October 21, 2021), theconversation.com
- Ana Almerini, “Wind Energy Pros and Cons” (accessed November 6, 2025), solarreviews.com
- Renée Cho, “The Energy Transition Will Need More Rare Earth Elements. Can We Secure Them Sustainably?” (April 5, 2023), news.climate.columbia.edu
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Wind Explained” (December 27, 2022), eia.gov
- U.S. Department of Energy, “Wind Energy’s Potential Effects on Wildlife and the Environment” (accessed November 12, 2025), windexchange.energy.gov
- Business Norway, “How Do Offshore Wind Turbines Affect Whales and Fishing?” (November 17, 2025), businessnorway.com
- Y. Teff-Seker et al., “Noise Pollution From Wind Turbines and Its Effects on Wildlife: A Cross-National Analysis of Current Policies and Planning Regulations,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (October 2022), sciencedirect.com
- Minho Kim, “Turbine Blades Have Piled Up in Landfills. A Solution May Be Coming.” (September 3, 2024), nytimes.com
- Pippa Stevens, “UK Energy Titan SSE Says Low Wind, Driest Conditions in 70 Years Hit Renewable Generation” (September 29, 2021), cnbc.com
- Rahul Rao, “No, Wind Turbines Are Not Likely to Fall on Your Head, and There Is No Evidence That Wind Is More Dangerous Than Other Energy Sources” (September 6, 2024), science.feedback.org
- Scientific American, “Are Aesthetics a Good Reason Not to Be a Fan of Wind Power?” (December 10, 2009), scientificamerican.com
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, “U.S. Energy Facts Explained” (accessed January 13, 2025), eia.gov
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Monthly Energy Review” (September 2025), eia.gov