Renewable Energy
Sources and their Impact on Birds
A solar photovoltaic array generates power for the Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Photo by USAF.
While most renewable energy sources do
not produce pollution directly, the materials, industrial
processes, and construction equipment used to create them
may generate waste and pollution. In addition, some renewable
energy systems actually create environmental problems - such
as older wind turbines and their significant impact on birds.
More generally, large-scale production
from renewable energy sources is sometimes viewed as too land-intensive
to be practical. Yet harnessing renewable energy requires
less land and water than does our current energy system. Solar
power plants that concentrate sunlight in desert areas require
2,540 acres per billion kWh, which is less land than is required
by a comparable coal or hydropower plant.
In addition, use of these renewable energy resources reduces
the need for harvesting non-renewable energy sources, such
as vast strip-mined areas and slag-mountains for coal, and
hundreds of square miles being strip-mined for oil sands.
Some renewable energy sources are discussed
in more detail on the following pages:
Photos above: stock.xchng
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