The wind energy brings us the following social benefits in terms of ethical implications.
Firstly, the wind energy intensifies the energy security. As with the concept of diversity in biology, the energy diversity is beneficial as well. A society that is dependent on a single or few energy resources is very vulnerable to one specific kind of energy resource shortage. The wind energy, which is increasingly practical and readily available nowadays, progressively contributes to the energy diversity. For instance, if one kind of energy resource is suffering scarcity, the more diverse energy resources the less pain will occur. Especially, the fossil fuels will drain away eventually, the wind power will be a promising alternative. …show more content…
The ethical issue with wind energy is its effect on the people who reside in the vicinity of the wind farms. Although the sight of turbine is visually appealing as it symbolizes energy independence, but many people feel that it damages the landscape of the area and emits noise that interferes with their everyday life. This is an important aspect related to the social dimension of ethics. Studies have shown that many people living near to turbine farm develop “Wind Turbine Syndrome,” which attributes symptoms like sleep disturbance, headache, ringing/buzzing, dizziness, and problems with memory. [12]
The concept of the social dimension of ethical implication linked to renewable energy comprises of various key dimensions such as sociopolitical acceptance, community and market acceptance.[13]Sociopolitical acceptance means the acceptance of both technologies and policies at the most basic level.[14] The key stakeholders, policy makers and the public are involved at this level. This is important when we are looking at planning issues or promoting initiatives that require the cooperation of locals. Hence the wind power projects with adequate ethical norms designed to prevent corruption and conflicts of interest should be