How to solve the environmental impact of wind power generation

As a new clean energy, wind energy is odorless, non-toxic, and will not pollute water sources. Its environmental benefits are obvious to all. Therefore, more and more countries have increased the development and utilization of wind energy. However, the establishment of wind energy farms has had an impact on the local ecological environment and natural landscape, and has aroused people's concern.

1 Basic principles and development overview of wind power

Under the irradiation of sunlight, the temperature of the atmosphere will rise. At the same time, due to the rotation and revolution of the earth, uneven heating of the earth's surface will occur. Formation of atmospheric temperature difference, triggering air flow. The flow of air in the horizontal direction forms "wind". Wind energy ultimately comes from the thermonuclear fusion reaction inside the sun. As long as there is the sun, wind energy will be produced. Wind power generation is the process of converting the mechanical energy of the wind into electrical energy. However, due to the instability of the wind, the fluctuation of the generated electrical energy is also large.

2 Visual pollution of wind power generation

Visual pollution is one of the main impacts of wind power generation on the environment. The main parameters of the visual impact of wind turbines are the type of landscape, the arrangement of the wind turbines, the size of the wind turbines, the number of wind turbines and the color of the wind turbines.

Under windy and sunny conditions, wind turbines will produce shaking shadows. The shadows have the greatest impact on people in the early morning and evening, and the shadows will change with the weather and seasons. . The shadows produced by rotating wind turbine blades can upset people and cause dizziness, seriously disrupting people's normal lives and causing visual pollution.

Therefore, when siting wind turbines, it is necessary to limit the time when shadows occur. Normally, people cannot be exposed to shadows for more than 10 hours a day, otherwise wind turbines must be turned off during specific periods. In addition, sensors can be installed on wind turbines to control the operation of wind turbines during specific periods.

3 Noise pollution from wind power generation

The noise generated by wind turbines mainly includes mechanical noise caused by the movement of the hub's moving parts, and aerodynamic noise caused by friction between the wind turbine blades and the surrounding air. The generation of these noises is closely related to wind speed. Among them, the motor and gearbox are the main causes of mechanical noise, and the gearbox is the main source of noise. The manufacturing level of the gear also determines the size of the noise. Noise can be transmitted through the wind or other structures of the wind turbine, and the further away from the wind turbine, the lower the noise.

Therefore, when planning wind farms, the impact of noise on nearby residents must be fully considered. Wind farms can be built in deserts, islands, mountain passes and other areas with rich wind energy resources and sparse population to effectively reduce the impact of noise on residents. In addition, when manufacturing wind turbines, manufacturers should use technological innovation to reduce the noise of the gearbox itself and reduce the aerodynamic noise of the blades. They can also use isolation technology to shield some of the noise.

4 Impact of wind power generation on biology and ecology

The establishment of wind farms will seriously affect the lives of birds. Birds may be injured or killed by striking towers or wind turbine blades during local or seasonal migrations. Local migration mainly refers to the activities of birds between resting areas and feeding and drinking areas. This migration occurs every day. Seasonal migration is a large-scale migration of birds due to seasonal changes, occurring twice a year. In areas with heavy migratory activity, birds are at greater risk of injury.

The establishment of wind farms will affect the number and physiological functions of bird flocks and reduce their attractiveness to bird flocks. As the number of wind turbines increases, birds avoid areas near the turbines, causing bird densities near wind farms to decrease. Obviously, this will have a negative impact on the habitats and colonies of birds, especially rare birds.

Therefore, when selecting a location for a wind farm, try to avoid bird habitats and migration routes, and avoid sensitive areas where birds live, so as to reduce the impact on bird life and protect the ecology. environment.

5 Electromagnetic interference from wind power generation

In wind power generation systems, generators, substations, transmission lines, etc. are the main causes of electromagnetic radiation. When the receiving device attached to the wind farm receives the signal, it will receive the electromagnetic wave signal reflected by the wind turbine blades. The reflected signal is a lagging signal, which can have a greater impact on the AM radio system; at the same time, the rotation of the turbine blades will also produce a phase-shifted signal, which can have an impact on the FM radio system.

The material the blades are made of will also interfere with electromagnetic waves. If the blades are made of metal materials, it will cause serious electromagnetic interference. In addition, an alternating electromagnetic radiation field will be formed around high-voltage transmission lines, causing electrostatic induction relative to the ground, causing radio interference.

Many communication frequencies will be interfered by wind turbines. Generally, the types of communication affected by them include microblog communication, television broadcasting, aircraft navigation wireless communication, etc. Only when their wavelength is greater than 4 times the total height of the wind turbine, the communication signal is basically stable.

Therefore, when designing and manufacturing wind turbines, radiation-proof materials must be used to control electromagnetic radiation in the design process; when establishing wind farms, the parameters and related parameters of the wind turbines must be fully taken into consideration. radio system parameters. When laying transmission lines, it is necessary to avoid important electronic facilities and equipment such as television transmission towers, mobile communication transmission towers, and telephone program control towers; select wind power generation equipment with low interference levels, and maintain a protective distance between it and other equipment; When wiring, the height of the tower should be appropriately raised to reduce the intensity of downward radiation of electromagnetic radiation.

6 Impact of wind power generation on public safety

At present, the probability of personal injury accidents caused by wind turbines is low, but there are also some potential public safety issues. Blade blowing means that part of the blade or the entire blade blows apart during operation, which is a serious type of accident. When the wind speed is too high and exceeds the "cut-out wind speed", the blade structure will malfunction while rotating at high speed, causing blade fragments to fly 700 to 800 meters. Professionals believe that within 210 m of a wind turbine, the mortality rate from flying blades (one in 10 million) is about the same as a lightning strike, and most of the time, people will not be within 210 m of a wind turbine. activity and, therefore, less dangerous. Although the probability of personal injury caused by the failure of the wind turbine blade itself is small, it should also attract the attention of relevant departments and the public.

Therefore, it is necessary to strictly control people's activities around wind turbines, establish safe activity areas, formulate warning safety slogans, and arrange specialized personnel on duty to ensure nothing goes wrong.

7 Conclusion

With the development and utilization of new energy, wind energy is increasingly favored by people because of its cleanliness and large reserves. The development and utilization of wind energy can not only effectively alleviate my country's energy shortage, but also promote the development of a resource-saving and environment-friendly society. However, wind energy can also have negative effects on the environment, such as causing visual pollution, noise pollution, affecting the survival of birds, and causing electromagnetic interference. Therefore, when building wind farms, it is necessary to strengthen management, strictly protect the ecological environment, and reduce the negative impacts caused by wind power generation.