As a result, CCAT has less overall environmental impact than if it were to rely on fossil fuels and nuclear power. The space which wind farms occupy can still be used for agriculture, grazing, ranching or most other uses before the turbines were installed. Financially, turbines pay for themselves quicker than most other types of energy production. Maintenance is minimal. According to World Power Technologies' owner manual, monthly maintenence consists of visual inspections of the mechanical condition of the turbine, inspecting the tower, and testing the brake.
Annual maintenance consists of battery inspections and an up close inspection of the turbine.
CCAT's wind turbine has not killed a bird since it was installed in 1984. Noise may also be a concern, especially with large turbine blades that are close to the ground. The wind turbine system that CCAT uses is a World Power Technologies, Inc., Whisper H-500. This system consists of a wind turbine on a pole, wiring and a control box. The turbine runs optimally when the wind blows at a speed of 28 mph, has a diameter of 5 feet, captures 20 square feet of wind and can generate around 500 watts of the energy needed by CCAT, depending on wind speeds.