What are the environmental impacts of wind power?
Wind is a completely renewable resource, and generating electricity with wind power emits no harmful pollutants and conserves precious water supplies. Increased reliance on wind to generate electricity reduces output from conventional generators thereby reducing the level of harmful emissions released into the atmosphere. The 18,000 MW of wind generation enabled by the competitive renewable energy zone (CREZ) process in Texas will reduce sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions – a leading contributor to acid rain – by 16,200 tons and smog-creating nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 8,100 tons each year. Wind generation also helps to reduce mercury emissions (HG) from coal-fired generation, which contaminates wildlife up and down the food chain. Wind generation also avoids emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 23,684 tons. Finally, wind does not require water to generate electricity, thereby reducing water consumption and preserving water for municipal supplies and agricultural activities. Wind farms can ext
