However, there are still several individuals who believe that wind turbines aren't exactly safe, especially for birds that can easily be trapped between the spinning blades. Several renowned wind turbine manufacturers are working to find solutions of these problems. They have come up with several techniques that make these clean renewable energy generators safe for both birds and humans. Here are some of the improvements that have made this possible.
Designing vertical axis wind turbines: Vertical axis turbines don't have a large sweep area of blades. Hence, this type of turbine is a lot safer for birds that usually get trapped between the rotating blades of a horizontal axis turbine. Moreover, these turbines can also generate more energy as they don't require high speeds to come into action.
Improvements in blade design: Wind turbines have often been criticized for the noise generated by their rotating blades, which is being claimed to cause depression and anxiety in people, who live nearby. Taking up this issue extremely seriously some highly reputed and renowned turbine manufacturers have come up with improvements in blade design that not only reduce the noise they produce during rotation but also increase the amount of wind energy that is converted into electricity. This change has made it possible for turbine installers to choose locations that are near to residential developments.
Protection against high speed winds: The speed at which the blades of a conventional turbine rotate is directly proportional to the speed at which the wind is blowing. Obviously, in case of a storm or hurricane, when wind speeds are considerably high than normal, the fiberglass or metal blades of a turbine can collapse and cause significant damage to people and properties nearby. To solve this problem turbine manufacturers now manufacture turbines with special safeguards that automatically stop the turbine from rotating if the speed of exceeds a permissible level.
Ultrasonic deterrents: A majority of bat deaths due to wind turbines result due to their lungs exploding to the low wind pressure near the blades. To help prevent any such instances, manufacturers of turbines have designed special ultrasonic deterrents devices that continuously emit high-frequency sounds that confuse the bats' natural echolocation process to a level that they simply avoid coming into the area.
An extremely important part of the wind energy industry is the maintenance of wind turbines and blades. Wind turbine and blade repairs are a significant part of the solution for a cost-effective clean energy industry. Manufacturers in all parts of the world are now coming up with improved wind turbines blades that not only produce a large amount of energy but are also a lot safer for humans, birds and bats.
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