Analysis of wind projects considering public perception and environmental impact

Abstract

Nowadays, we arc confronting many different problems and limitations associated with conventional electricity generation. People are concerned about the pollution emitted by energy sources like coal, oil and natural gas. Wind power is one of the most rapidly growing technologies for renewable power generation, and is taking an important role as an accepted utility generation technology. It is important to consider the direct and indirect environmental impacts associated with wind energy. Some of them are related to the visual impact, noise, use of lands, electromagnetic interferences, the impact on birds and the impact of construction in terrestrial ecosystems. This paper focuses on the perception of the public about wind energy, and potential environmental impacts. The paper also presents an example of the analysis for a wind project in the island of Puerto Rico, considering impact on bird mortality.