Wind turbines rotate as sea breezes flow through the Cengang Wind Farm in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang Province. Photo: cnsphoto

A member of China's top political advisory body urged to comprehensively consider the current and potential impact that wind power generation has on the surrounding environment before building wind turbines in China's densely populated areas.

Despite large amounts of clean energy generated by wind power, some wind farms in eastern and middle parts of China have already had an impact on the local residents and the surrounding environment, said Wei Shizhong, a member of the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee and deputy head of the Henan University of Science and Technology.

Wei told the Global Times on Sunday that the main impact is noise pollution generated by the friction of the air against the blades of wind turbines that can reach dozens of kilometers.

"Given that the natural flow of wind does not make much sound, people failed to take into account that the blades of wind turbines can largely increase the noise. Therefore, the economic factor was usually the priority when selecting the location of wind farms," Wei explained. 

China's eastern and middle regions have urgent need for electricity with large populations and industries. Building wind farms there could shorten electricity transmission and facilitate equipment maintenance, said Wei, adding that the wind turbines on the top of the hills also spoil the visual aesthetics and natural scenery.

Wei Shizhong, member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee Photo: Courtesy of Wei Shizhong

Wei told the Global Times that wind power also produces ultrasound and infrasound that impact the human body, plants and animals and are usually neglected by the public.

Considering these current and potential impacts, Wei made calls to reassess the wind farms that have received complaints from the public to determine the future of their operations or further improvement.

"Given the important role of wind power production in realizing China's carbon neutrality, Wei suggested to build more wind farms in the western deserts, which are rich in wind energy resources and with few animals and plants. Construction should be made under the condition that clear and specific requirements for ecological conservation are made in the national standards for wind farms based on scientific research and assessment. Dynamic environment monitoring should be ensured to be performed while the farms are under operation," Wei mentioned.