Among environmentalists, wind power is the current favorite to replace fossil fuels, yet, it too has downsides. For one, wind power still fails to compete economically with fossil fuels despite years of subsidies. Even though the cost of wind power has declined, it is double the cost of new gas-fired electricity generation. Wind power will probably never catch up to conventional methods in this respect, since technological advances in wind power generation will most likely be matched by those in fossil-fuel power. Another downside of wind power, one that troubles many environmentalists, is that it kills thousands of birds, including some endangered species.
Unsuspecting birds fly into the whirling propellers and are chopped to death.
Thirty-nine golden eagles are killed each year at the Altamont Pass wind farm in California.