Myth: Wind turbines have a high carbon footprint

Wind turbines have a very high carbon ‘footprint’ – meaning the manufacturing process emits a lot of CO₂. So, it’s a waste of time thinking they can significantly reduce emissions.

Fact:

This claim is simply rubbish! CO₂ emissions do result from the manufacture of wind turbines, but these are dwarfed by the CO₂ saved over the life of those turbines. Recent studies have concluded that wind power has a carbon footprint that is 99 percent less than coal-fired power, 98 percent less than natural gas, and 75% less than solar power. Other studies have shown that the ‘energy-payback’ time for wind turbines (that is, the time it takes for a system to generate more energy than it took to make it) is just 4 to 6 months. When the turbines are produced using renewable energy, as will be the case in the not-too-distant future, their carbon footprint will be next to zero. So, there is no truth whatever to this myth.